Waking to You
by Surmise
Summary: Naruto loses control.With no options left,Tsunade orders Sakura to help recede the Kyuubi. The effect leaves her comatose for a year. When she awakes she must deal with the changes that have occurred – starting with the return of a specific Uchiha.SasuSak
1. Comatose

Summary: The invasion of the Akatsuki cause Naruto to lose control. With no options left,Tsunade orders Sakura to help recede the Kyuubi. The effect leaves her comatose for a year. When she awakes, she must deal with the changes that have occurred – starting with a specific Uchiha's return. SasuSaku

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_Chapter One_

_Comatose_

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* * *

  
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"You don't have to do this, Sakura."

She was wrong – in every way. They both knew there was no one else capable enough to finish it. There was so little time left that even _if _there was someone else, she was the only one now. Another piercing sound ricocheted through the rubble and they both tensed.

"Yes…yes I do."

Tsunade merely looked at her before handing her a kunai that was tiny enough to be concealed. It glowed faintly with a strange shade of her mentor's chakra – pulsing steadily in her hand.

She sheathed it in the back pocket of her skirt before getting shakily to her feet.

"Goodbye Shishou…"

Tsunade nodded her head fiercely; the words she had meant to say dying on her lips. What could she say? Was there anything left to even say? Was she right in asking her pupil to make the ultimate forfeit? She was so beautiful. So young and loyal. In all of her years, she had never come across someone as bright and promising as Haruno Sakura.

The Godaime grabbed her pupil's wrist as she turned to leave. "You know I would only ask this of you if there was absolutely no one left, don't you?" Her amber eyes surveyed the pillars of smoke beyond their current position. The clamoring of metal against metal was endless.

And there was no one left. No contact. No radio.

"….And that it has to be someone who has his full trust. You have that. As much as I would like to think that I have earned that…well his most special bonds are rather exclusive. Even that fool, Kakashi, doesn't have the trust that he's placed in you. Only the Uchiha boy," Sakura's eyes tightened at the corners. "….had what you have now. By his betrayal – he shattered that special reliance. Kyuubi has not yet taken total control but he will. When you get close take that kunai I gave you and thrust it into the seal….the chakra will be so immense that it will _kill you_."

Her fingers held fast to the wrist of her apprentice. "But you are the only one who is able to get close enough. I-I think that….you would take comfort in the fact that Naruto will survive this. His dreams are big enough for the both of you, I suppose."

Sakura lowered her head in silence. Beneath her boot clad feet, the pavement darkened with thick tears. Tsunade felt a sharp pain begin to work its way through her stomach at the heart breaking sight. But she lifted her head up seconds later, a smile on her face as Tsunade knew it would be.

The sides of her mouth upturned higher into a larger smile. It looked every bit as bright as her hair but her eyes reflected resignation and anguish. "I accept this last mission Hokage-sama."

Tsunade wiped the look of ache from her face with one quick motion of acknowledgement with her head.

"Then you will go straight to the objective and you will not stop to help or heal anyone. I do not care if it is your mother herself out there bleeding. You are not a medical ninja anymore, at least not tonight. You are a kunoichi of Konohagakure with a mission at hand. You will eliminate all obstacles. The Akatsuki have retreated but there are still Iwa nin that have allied themselves. Use whatever you can to finish this – forbidden or not."

"Yes."Sakura agreed in a whisper.

The hitai-ate attached to her waist was lifted with swift fingers and tied tightly to her forehead. She stopped just at the rim of the crag overlooking the mess that was beneath them, and turned dimly to the side.

"I'll send back cover for you Shishou." Sakura barely tried to conceal the finality of her voice. There was no use seeing as this _would _be one of her final moments. She hesitated - but decided against more words – and jumped straight into the destruction.

* * *

The heels of her boots left distinct marks in the earth where she had landed. Swarms of dust, earth, and something metallic hit her in the face upon impact.

There was no time to dwell on the mangled bodies beneath her. She ducked her head under and pushed her legs forward. If her sense of direction was still intact, though she could barely think in the midst of all the screaming, most of the fighting would be taking place in the west end.

The medic whirled on her feet and began pushing her body towards the sounds of metal. If she guessed right, which she would soon find out, this was where the real chaos was happening. Her fists pushed aside a fallen piece of debris with ease that lay directly in her path of search.

"_No_."

Despite her words, there was no denying the lock of pale hair that extended from a long ponytail. Tsunade's words seemed to reach her even through the yells and shrieks_. You will not stop to help or heal anyone._

But the choice was clear and she had already made her decision. She prayed that the loss of such valuable seconds wouldn't be the downfall of them all.

"Ino!" She screamed in the woman's ear. The mind specialist lay unresponsive and almost unnaturally still. A lift of both lids revealed nothing but the empty stare of cloudy eyes. Sakura looked up in distress, sensing someone or something watching her.

A kunoichi that was obviously from Rock Country was staring at her with a relieved expression. How strange. She should have been trying to snap her neck off. And then one quick look at the pretty woman in her arms and back at the red haired Rock nin told her everything.

"Kami…." She exulted in sheer relief. She cupped her hands to her mouth and screamed, "Ino! Head back over the north cliff. There you will find Tsunade who has taken position there. Get as many Leaf nin there as possible." She placed her friend's body in a more discreet location and raised to her feet. Ino, or the body she was currently residing in, slumped to the ground and her original form jerked to life.

"Alright." She exclaimed. She was already running towards the northern part of the village. "Sakura stay away from the center, that's where, Naruto….."

She could have kissed her right then and there. That saved her so much time that a sliver of hope wedged its way to the surface. The medic sprinted off towards the heart of Konoha ignoring Ino's shouts of stop.

Her breath hitched when the perimeter of the area stung at her bare skin. The chakra emanating in the air was so thick and vital that it must have been tangible. She crossed over the threshold of bodies – praying that the Akatsuki and their allies had been the cause and not the man in her vision.

He was there standing with his chest bare. The muscles of his sun bronzed skin rippled and constricted as his hands made a very distinct popping sound. The air in her throat seemed to stop on its pathway upwards. The sensation caused her to cough from the lack of oxygen.

She couldn't bring herself to move or much less inhale.

"Naruto," She breathed out in a low whisper.

The muscles in his back jerked. His face snapped in her direction and she almost died at the sight of him. It wasn't noticeable before. But now red streams of chakra – in plain sight – snaked its way around his form and then pressurized itself against his flesh like a second skin.

The cracked earth beneath her feet sizzled and flared as his chakra leaked across the expanse of it. It bubbled around his feet in substantial clouds. It made large scarlet ears over his own and stretched out behind him forming some kind of tail. And then they materialized in sequence. One. Two. Three.

A flood of thankfulness overcame her at the realization that he was only in his three tailed form. So he did have some control. But for how long could he maintain it? He stared at her silently.

Her fearful eyes darted instinctively to the right at the sound of footfall. An ANBU nin had been inching closer, taking Naruto's sudden pause to his advantage.

"Stop!" But her scream was drowned by the sudden wave of energy. He was still gazing at her with a transfixed expression when he waved his arm faintly. The approaching ANBU was decimated into nothing.

Cold and hard unforgiving waves washed over her. It froze her into place, her eyes wide and tearful. He had just killed a man without looking at him. Without so much as lifting an arm.

Her last meal threatened to come up right then and there but she doubted she had the strength to even up heave her food. She blinked and then screamed.

Her body was wrenched up into the night air. It felt like someone had taken a white hot brand and shoved it around her throat. She felt the remaining slivers of oxygen leave her as she sputtered for breath.

Her legs flailed uselessly in the air all around her. "Don't do this, Naruto. Please…." If anything, he pulled tighter at her throat. Tears brimmed and then fell in miniature rivers down the hot skin of her face. Her eyes burned briefly before lolling until they threatened to roll into the back of her head.

Suddenly she could breathe again. Her glove torn hands clutched at her throat, her breath coming in short bursts. Her own chakra healed the burns that marred her skin - the chakra flowing in heaps from her palms.

She wouldn't need it anymore. Not after tonight.

Burning.

Hot. Hot. Hot.

_Scorching_.

His clawed hand cupped her cheek in a flash of red. The skin very well might have seared off because of the pain. Naruto's handsome face was etched on both sides with deep black whiskers, his eyes a dark ruby, almost black. They closely resembled a fox's in their cat like elegance.

His golden hair was matted to his forehead, beads of perspiration working its way down his temple. There was something deeply animalistic about his gaze that made her want to cringe back in terror. He dropped his hand as if realizing the pain that it caused her.

"Naruto?" She whispered hesitantly.

His chest gave a low rumble in response to her question.

Her hand inched behind her. "Please, you have got to control this. I know it's hard – but you cannot kill people. Innocent people. They have hopes and dreams too. Like yours. You strive to become Hokage, remember? _Remember_?" She insisted again.

She could feel the kunai inches from her hand.

The blackness of his eyes receded until there was nothing left but red irises. They lightened until they were almost azure colored again. They flickered between red and blue. But she could tell the red was winning. Whatever had to be done – better be done quickly. He seemed to realize this too, his gaze searching hers questioningly. The shield of chakra around him flickered – leaving his abdomen vulnerable.

His eyes hardened over as he realized her next actions.

She shoved the blade into the spiral seal on his stomach with a forceful lunge of her arm. His reaction was instinctual. One of his chakra covered hands, she couldn't tell which one, shoved into her chest.

Her scream very well shook the rubble beneath them.

It was like she had been cast straight into hell. It burned through her entire body like another flow of blood. The bubbling chakra ate away at her insides, leaving her in utter agony.

"……I love you." He snarled.

Naruto's words. Kyuubi's voice.

Her back arched in his arms as the fiery pain blistered on. In his eyes she saw her own reflected back at her. Filled with the complete energy of Kyuubi, they glowed red as they burned in her sockets.

_Such pain. _

Her body hit the pavement beneath her as the air seemed to whoosh by. There was a loud cackling sound and another thud. Tsunade's kunai must have taken effect. She could hear Naruto's screams of anguish as he came to his right mind.

Sakura prayed for death to hurry. She didn't _want _to be alive when Naruto realized what he had done. She heard a broken scream surround her, tears on her face, and something beat at her chest. But it was soon gone. A numb and cold feeling replaced the pain and she gladly welcomed it.

There was another voice but she didn't have the energy to decipher whose.

She felt cold lips press against hers, pushing their breath into her lungs. It couldn't have been Naruto. He was still writhing in pain somewhere beside her. Heavy hands beat in a timed fashion against her chest.

One. Two. Three.

Another push.

One. Two. Three.

Another breath.

She sputtered for oxygen as something hot congealed in her throat. It blocked the oxygen that she craved, leaving her floundering around. Something cupped her head in an upwards motion so she could breathe. The medic continued to sputter for breath as someone blew into her mouth.

There was a searing pressure against the gaping hole in her chest. She cried out, the pain somehow worse than before. Rough hands held her down as her back begged to be arched. Slowly, she felt something begin to click. To restart. It sowed inside her body, weaving intricate patterns.

Her heart jumpstarted as if she had been shocked. The action caused her eyes to snap open and look for the source. But soon it faded and she felt the weariness begin to take its toll.

Her vision focused in and out on the sight above her.

_Black and Red._

Her eye lids drooped – oblivion threatening to take hold.

_Spiraling._

She drifted soundlessly, content with the hypnotizing sight being her last image of life.

* * *

It never exactly occurred to Sakura what death would actually be like once she got there. It was bewildering to find the comfort of it so simple and easy. It swept over her like a warm blanket – covering her in its security.

It was strange, however, when she felt a nagging somewhere. A sense of discontentment settled which left her feeling oddly empty. What was wrong with her? And then there were the voices. Why were there so many people talking at once? Why weren't they addressing her? Did they not like her?

But as her hearing gradually increased, she realized there were in fact only _two_ voices. Not the millions like she had imagined. It sounded like a female and a male were conversing.

Interesting. The female sounded almost…bossy.

"Look." There was a shuffling of papers. It sounded as if she had jabbed a finger at something. "The electrical activity is soaring. Hm, maybe…."

"Maybe what? A breakthrough?" The male voice asked in a silent whisper. As if he didn't want to believe what she was implying yet yearning for it at the same time. The voice was very boyish yet somehow familiar.

Was he drumming his fingers?

"Go!"

Why was the woman screaming? It disturbed her slightly.

"Wha-"

But the woman was faster. "Go ask for the top neurologist in this building! I don't care what floor he or she is on or if they're at home!"

There was the scuffling of feet and then the shutting of a door. Something cool and smooth was pressed against her forehead. She must be in a hospital. That obviously meant she wasn't dead. But _how_?

There was no way she could have survived that…

A shrill beeping broke out. Sakura could feel herself grow weary. What was that? Why couldn't she move? She forced all of her concentration into her eyes.

_It's as good as place as any to start, I guess._

The thick veil that had been draped over her mind seemed to lift suddenly. She felt her eye lids twitch which resulted in someone gasping. _Almost there_.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Maybe if someone turned off that damned beeping then she could actually concentrate. There was another quick intake of breath and then she heard the bossy woman mutter, "Listen to your heart soar, Sakura."

Oh. Well that would explain the beeping.

Beep. Beep. _Beep!_

Her eyes fluttered, taking in the startling light of the lamp overhead, only to zero in on the beautiful face of Tsunade.

"Welcome back, Sakura."

Her heart beat dulled to a natural rhythm. Somewhere, she could hear loud footsteps approaching.

A pause. "Where…am I?"

Fresh tears formed in her eyes as a relieved smile broke across her face.

"The intensive care unit."

* * *

_TBC_

* * *

A/N: And here I am again! This idea has been bugging me for the longest and I'm really happy to have posted it. I think I'm going to have A LOT of fun with this SasuSaku. So where's Sasuke, you say? Hm, he was here in this chapter, in which he played a very important part if you paid attention. And of course you can't have a SasuSaku without Sasuke! Next chapter guys…..XD

Anyways I am now going back to edit the sequel for _Missioning With You_, which I have the first three chapters written. Yay. That will be up soon. Okay, I'll end this long Author's Note. Also I'm strongly considering bumping this up to the M rating, we'll see.I would really appreciate feedback on this chapter. I have a feeling this is going to be the beginning of a very long and beautiful relationship, this fic and I.

Surmise


	2. Awakening

_A/N: I would just like to quickly point out that when someone resurfaces from a coma, it takes several days before they regain total consciousness...regardless of what happens on most soap operas. Thank you,that is all._

* * *

_Chapter Two_

_Awakening_

* * *

The intensive care unit turned out to be nothing but a series of hazy minutes of consciousness for Sakura. One minute she was answering a chain of ridiculous questions such as, "Can you tell me the location you are currently in?", and the next minute she was back under the same dark veil as before.

Something cold was dabbled at her forehead, causing her to stir. Her eyes opened slowly, as she usually did when trying to lessen the sting of the bright light overhead, and focused on the recognizable face above her.

"How long was I out this time?" Sakura whispered as Tsunade changed the IV in her arm. The blond woman discarded the used tube in the waste bin next to her before promptly turning on her heel to face the hesitant woman. "Twenty-four hours."

"Oh." That was at least comforting. The last time it had been three whole days.

The tall woman made a face that Sakura couldn't quite read before she pulled up a chair. The medic groaned once she realized what was about to happen."I would like to ask you a series of questions, Sakura," though the pink haired medic knew that it was more of a statement than it was a request.

She found herself nodding reluctantly. How much longer did she have to wait until she could move around? Judging by the ample chested woman's face – maybe another week at of Tsunade's red polished fingers brushed aside a stray strand of pink hair from her eyes. "So, could you tell me your last name?"

She found herself wishing she had the strength to roll her eyes. "Haruno," she answered automatically.

Tsunade applauded, pleased.

"How old are you?"

"Well I was nineteen before so I'm twenty now."

"What season is it?"

This time, she found herself racking through her brain for an answer. "Uh, Spring?" she offered.

Her mentor smiled lightly before scribbling something down in a folder, that Sakura could only assume was her personal medical file. "Not quite missy. It _was_ spring time when you first lost consciousness. Now it's winter and well…a year later."

Her mouth flung open. "An entire year passed?" she half gasped half screamed.

"Yes," Tsunade answered regretfully. "After you were in a coma for a month, the council debated whether or not to pull the plug." At Sakura's enraged expression Tsunade patted her head. "Of course I told them all to go to hell at even suggesting such a thought! So we ran several tomography scans to find out if there were any hemorrhages. None! You didn't even have a scratch. You and I both know you were never meant to survive that last task."

The memory of the pain itself made her grimace. She could never forget the way Naruto's chakra had ate through her insides like wildfire. But there was something else. Something that she couldn't quite put a finger on.

At her troubled expression, Tsunade frowned. "Did you not just hear what I said, Sakura? Judging by your level of awareness you've reached full consciousness. Though I'm not allowing visitors just yet…what's wrong?"

The medic realized that her eyebrows were drawn so tightly with concentration – that they were almost touching. "There was someone else," she breathed lightly.

"What?"

"That night." She added annoyed at her mentor's inability to understand. "Someone saved me or they at least attempted to." She clarified.

Tsunade huffed. "No, he pretty much brought you back from the dead."

He? Her savior had been male?

"He?" She asked aloud. The blond woman's expression grew guilty as she realized her slip in words.

"Forget I said anything. How about I take you for a walk around the floor before your next examination?"

She felt herself growing extremely agitated. "Not a chance." Though she did find the opportunity to stretch her legs a little, rather appealing. "At least not before you tell me who it was. From your accidental choice in words, I know that it is a he. Now _who_ was it?"

Whoever it had been – she owed him her life. She just wished she knew who the mystery male was. He had to have been someone gracious and caring and kind…

"The Uchiha boy."

And nice and maybe even a bit handsome – _wait what_?

"Sakura!" Tsunade screamed. The door burst open as a passing intern ran in. He skidded to a stop at the Hokage's terrified expression.

"What happened?" He demanded as he glanced at the limp girl in the Hokage's arms.

She shook her head disbelievingly. "She's lost consciousness again."

* * *

The reflection in the oval shaped mirror that Tsunade held up was, for a lack of better words, mystifying.

"I don't really recognize myself Shishou," Sakura confessed in a low voice. "I look terribly sick. Almost as if I've been asleep for too long."

The Hokage chuckled lightly. "Well you _have_ been, Sakura. But you are just as beautiful as you were a year ago. Even more so, I'd say."

Yet, she didn't feel very beautiful. Her skin, which she remembered being healthy looking, was sallow. Her face had not changed drastically or maybe she was too biased.

The skin beneath her eyes – which were still the same moist green – was a faint shade of lavender due to her lack of exposure to the Sun. The curtain of pink hair that fell all around her face – bothered her.

She fingered a long strand that fell into her eyes. "Why did you let it grow out?" she asked accusingly. The mirror shook slightly as the Hokage laughed at her student's revolted expression. "Well," she started as she gathered her bearings. "In all honesty the length of your hair was the least of my worries at the time. I didn't even consider the thought that you might pitch a fit once you woke up."

After much squabbling and squirming, the latter caused by Sakura, her hair hung just at the base of her neck. She smiled in pleasure.

Tsunade ruffled her coral hair as she placed the scissors she had been using back in one of the drawers. "Okay, now that we're done with that, I would like to draw to your attention the fact that I am allowing visitors today. It's been two weeks since you've first come out of your coma and people are getting all bitchy," Sakura giggled at the blond woman's irritated face. "That I haven't let them see you. But don't you hesitate to kick them out if you feel overcrowded."

She rose from the bed and glided towards the exit. If Sakura listened hard enough, she almost heard the quiet thrum of voices outside her door. "I'm only allowing one at a time."

The thought of seeing Naruto put a huge lump in her throat. Of course he would be as healthy as a horse, Tsunade had assured her of that. But he had been in so much pain. Could he even look at her the same? After all, he had been the one to almost take her life.

She could imagine his immense guilt. If their positions had been reversed she would probably have killed herself by now. Her silent musings were broken by the bone crushing embrace that enveloped wet and salty tasting spilled onto her lashes, causing her to blink rapidly.

"I'm sorry."

She recognized the boyish voice from before, when she had first awoke. He had been the one to stay with her through her never ending period of sleep. She didn't know how she knew that. She just sort of felt it.

"I am_ so _sorry." The voice repeated brokenly. She gazed upon the twisted face of Naruto, at a loss for words. He looked so heavily saddened yet relieved beyond belief at the same time. There was something incredibly heart breaking about the way his blue eyes were filled with fault.

Sakura found herself wishing she could ease his pain as she wrapped her arms around his muscular frame. Her own stomach twisted painfully at the realization of the moment. What had her comatose state done to him?

"Shh, I'm alive and well. Even more so…awake." She exalted the last part with an incredulous breath of her own. She held him in silence as the minutes passed by. Eventually he quieted and ceased the hunching of his shoulders.

His hair was longer than she remembered it being. But then again, she had been out of it for little over a year. His face had lost some of its roundness since she had last seen him. He was quite handsome, though she had registered that fact a year ago, with his sun kissed skin.

She wondered briefly if any of the female population had perceived that fact. Of course shy Hinata had noticed. But had Naruto taken notice that Hinata had taken notice? It was awfully confusing to ponder in her current state.

Her hands stopped their stroking of his hair once she had comprehended that his breathing had evened considerably. She almost laughed once she realized that he had in fact, fallen asleep.

The tap at the door made her jump. In walked an elderly looking nurse that glanced between the two of them with soft eyes. They seemed to say_, how cute_. But her back straightened at Sakura's imploring look.

She cleared her throat nervously. "My best apologies for interrupting but the young man outside has demanded that his turn to visit with you has come."

Sakura almost replied yes, even though she would hate to disturb the sleeping Naruto, because it was fair after all for everyone to have a turn. And she did miss her other friends terribly. But she was curious about who the man outside was. "Who is it?"

The elderly woman looked like she'd rather not say. "Uchiha-san ma'am."

She froze, her tongue losing its ability to move. Somewhere in her head she was longing to see him. To ask him questions about his absence of eight years. And eight years was an eternity in her book. Maybe even longer. But an unexplainable anger filled her. How dare he demand to see her, after abandoning his team and village?

Did he expect for her not to be angry? She was angry and ecstatic at the possibility to see his face. And all she had to do was say yes.

"No." She glared pointedly at the wall. "I will not be seeing him today. Or, ever during my stay here. Please make sure to tell him that," She squinted at the older nurse's name tag. "Yuko-san."

During the next few hours, she was greeted by countless faces. Some she could recall instantly and others…not so much. Kakashi's visit had been rather amusing with his nonchalant expression as if she had never been in a coma at all. He had ruffled her hair as he had once done, before insisting that he read her an excerpt from an edition of Icha Icha that he said was inspired by her.

Not only had she been disgusted by that very gesture but she had been absolutely horrified at the thought of her former sensei reading porn about some girl who had an uncanny resemblence to herself.

And then she had been completely livid that Jiraiya, which he had later claimed during his visit that it had been in her honor and memory, would do such a thing. And when she threatened to tell Tsunade about it, he immediately said he would take it out of circulation. Still, she had found that it was rather awkward to be around Kakashi after that, who simply ruffled her hair again before leaving.

Ino had gone through a tantrum of emotions during her stay. She had cried and laughed before showcasing all of the nice "treats" as she called them that she had bought for her.

The "treats" were mainly clothes, which was slightly eerie considering the fact that they all fit perfectly. And she had never given Ino her clothes size before. Some of them were more revealing than she would like to admit. Ino had responded with her tinkling laugh as she always had.

She even played a bit of Shogi with Shikamaru who told her in his usual drawl how nice it was to have someone on his level of intelligence around again.

Team Gai had also visited for a short while. Gai and Lee's dramatic breakdowns unnerved her a bit, who were both escorted out by an ashamed Tenten. She'd made small talk with Neji whose presence, she wasn't going to lie, made her slightly anxious.

Lastly, her mother and father visited. They brought balloons and bears filled with different kinds of sweets. It was all very touching to know that so many people cared about her and had missed her.

That only served to make the situation all the more surreal.

* * *

It was well after visiting hours when she made her move. She had been careful to slip out of her gown and pull on the darkest clothes she could find in the bags Ino had bought for her. She had managed to pull an oddly snug pair of jeans and a button down shirt that appeared black, although she couldn't be sure in the darkness, on. She slipped on her old sneakers as she slunk out of the door.

It was easier than she thought it was going to be. The hallways of the intensive care unit were completely bare except for the occasional intern passing by. She waited five minutes before sucking in a profound breath.

She released it slowly, once she had worked up enough nerves. Tsunade was going to kill her once she found out that she had left the hospital without permisson or supervision. But she just couldn't take another day being cooped up in that awful bed.

Her feet had taken her maybe one step away from her designated room before someone cleared their throat.

She halted immediately. Why did she feel like some sort of criminal caught in the act? Her head turned slowly towards the figure behind her. She looked up guilty at the face of her captor.

"_You_," she hissed.

"Me," he agreed dryly.

He was indisputably and utterly gorgeous. From the slender curve of his neck to the strong shoulders of his upper body, he was perfect. Black eye brows hung above the same colored eyes, which were narrowed towards her, and a perfectly sculpted nose and mouth were slightly distorted in agitation. A few raven colored strands hung in partial disarray over his forehead – the rest in spiky chaos all around his head.

And the devastatingly beautiful creature had his hands crossed over his chest in casual grace with his back half propped against the wall of her room. Had he been there the whole time? Ever since she had refused his visit?

"Well," she said, returning the look tenfold. "Go away."

He scoffed. "Not until you go back into the room." His eyes shifted pointedly to the open door.

Uchiha Sasuke.

How she had once longed for his return – and for it to be on the exact night of her almost death was most ironic. He had brought her back from the very brink of it with his hands and lips. She supposed she should be happy. Or excited even. He had returned of his own free will. Without the effort of either of his teammates.

That should have made her happy. But she wasn't. It confused her to no end. After telling the nurse that he was not allowed to visit her, she had spent the rest of the day pondering why she had even said that in the first place.

With one look at his pale – arrogant – face…she knew. She was angry and hurt. Angry because he had left. Hurt because it had taken him so long to come back. How many people had he killed on his path to vengeance? But that was neither here nor there.

She had always wondered what it was like to kiss him. Or to feel his hands roam across her body. And he had done all of that. In the most platonic way – he had. She could still feel the pressure of his lips as they shaped themselves around hers. The very breath that he had blown into her.

His hands had not been delicate, like she had always imagined. They had been rough and desperate in their need to get her heart to beat again.

She was scared out of her wits. Because with one look at his face, however arrogant it appeared, she knew that she was still in love with him.

And she did not know him. Sure, she knew his favorite foods and drinks and the type of ramen he ordered at Ichiraku. She knew most of his dislikes – as she was one of them. She even knew that he detested most sweets, if not all. Those all came with the territory of being his teammate. But she did not _know_ him.

How dangerous and stupid her traitorous heart was! Tsunade had once warned her that if she ever did meet him again, she might regret it. How ironic her life had turned out to be. Why hadn't he just let her bleed to death?

"And if I don't comply?" she challenged.

He was still leaning against the same wall in the exact same stupid pose. A flash of impatience crossed his features at her words. "Then I'll make you." He countered, stoically.

He did not stop to wait for her response. His hand snaked around her wrist as he, none to gently, yanked her in the opposite direction. She jerked back but to no avail. "Hey! You don't know anything about me so go away!" But he just flung her down onto the railed bed.

"You're right and neither do I have the desire to. So stop whining."

She silenced at his dangerous expression. He leaned in close to her. "In case the Hokage hasn't enlightened you – I was the one who brought you back to life. And I can just as easily reverse that."

Her throat squeezed painfully. "Are you threatening me, Sasuke?" It just occurred to her that she had actually said his name aloud. Something that she swore she wouldn't do.

He smirked. She absolutely hated to acknowledge it but the action was undeniably attractive. Even if she was terrified of the man. "If that's what it takes for you to stay in this room, then yes. I guess I am." Despite his words, he did sound horribly bored.

He leaned backwards and then pulled the chair that had been last occupied by her father towards him.

"Why do you even care?" she muttered in the darkness.

It wasn't so dark that she could not read his expression. Conflicted. "Easy. I don't."

* * *

She awoke suddenly as sunlight filtered through her nearby curtains. The medic remained unmoving as a seemingly heated conversation was taking place at the foot of her bed.

"_Sharingan_!" Tsunade shrieked. "You offer to help keep an eye out for her and just because she became a bit fussy," she glared accusingly at the man in front of her. "You get the fantastic idea to put her into a Sharingan induced sleep. Did you even think of the possible ramifications of your actions!? You could have put her back into a coma, genius." She added mockingly.

"She's awake, satisfied now?" Sasuke hissed back. Sakura took that as her cue to rise.

She stared at the door which had just slammed shut behind him. Tsunade snapped her fingers in front of her eyes. "Oh don't worry about him."

"I'm not!" Sakura added defensively. Her shoulder popped a little when she moved it. "Rough night?" Her mentor asked delicately. The pink haired woman rolled her eyes. "Not exactly."

It had been a very _weird_ night. Considering her escape attempt, her unintentional reunion with the last man she wanted to see, and the very inappropriate dream that had followed involving the both of them. She brushed it off as a side effect of the Sharingan because in no way shape or form would she even allow herself to think like that.

Even if it was a dream. And it hadn't been as bad as she wanted to believe it was. On the _contrary_…

The rest of the day consisted of signing her release papers and viewing the results of her examinations. It appeared as if everything was fine so Tsunade stamped her approval, the latter of which had Sakura jumping for joy.

It was just after dinner time when she reached her old apartment. It was impeccably clean considering her extended absence. She found a note penned to the front of her refrigerator that was written in a very loopy writing.

_Sakura_

_Cleaned the place and stocked the 'fridge._

_P.S : Also your closet._

_Ino_

Her eyes rolled completely heavenward at the ridiculous note. Not that she wasn't grateful but knowing Ino, she had probably also redecorated the place. As she walked around, it was pleasing to see that her apartment was relatively unchanged, aside from the occasional new pillow and shirt.

She discarded an apple that she had been chewing on in the waste bin to answer the door, which was being furiously pounded. "Sheesh, I am coming!" Whoever it was – they sure knew how to annoy someone.

Ino and Shikamaru greeted her. "Yo." Shikamaru saluted her slightly in greeting. Ino whacked him in the ribs. "What he meant to say was do you want to get something to eat with us. Please?" she added at Sakura's apprehensive expression.

"I don't know Ino, I mean I did just wake up from a coma afterall. I want a little time to myself."

"Oh come on! All of our friends will be there! Don't you wanna' see everyone again?" she begged. Shikamaru shook his head silently behind the blond.

She could think of a few exceptions. Well, maybe _one_ exception.

* * *

She found herself seated directly across from that exception, who was thankfully too engrossed in a conversation with Kakashi to notice her.

They were all meeting in a crowded bar at one big booth in the back. Since it was Friday, it was swarming with people and liquor. Sakura was sandwiched somewhere between Shikamaru and Genma. She smiled nervously at the handsome dark haired male who tried unsuccessfully to catch her eye.

A quick scan of the bar revealed Ino coming towards them with a tray full of drinks and Lee with a stack of barbecue. In seconds everyone had greedily claimed theirs and were passing around old memories. She giggled when Ino had to go back to the bar to get Lee a nonalcoholic cocktail.

"So, Sakura how are you enjoying life now? It's got to be better than dreamland." Shikamaru drawled. She laughed but Naruto threw him a murderous glare. Apparently, it was still a touchy subject for him.

"It's going good I guess…well I mean it's a lot to take in anyways." She sipped her drink as she explained the sensation of being in a coma, or lack thereof. Shikamaru nodded his head knowingly.

Soon she found herself amused with the still confident Genma. "Hey baby." She rolled her eyes. Kakashi and Gai stiffened. Ino mouthed something to the effect of, "Robbing the cradle." Sakura found it hard to keep a straight face when looking at Genma and watching Ino make inappropriate gestures behind his head.

She politely removed his arm from around her neck. "Hello Genma. Long time no see, eh?" They chatted back and forth about the coming chuunin exams and who would have to host it. From what Sakura could tell, he was trying his best to woo her.

Not that she was blind. He was very attractive in a kind of boyish sort of way just like she had noticed Naruto was. The senbon was kind of cute. Her attention however, kept flitting to the man across from her, who was staring intently at the two of them.

Kakashi struck up a conversation about how Sai was out on a mission and couldn't make it. "You know…I kind of miss him." And then Naruto pouted about how she had not said she had missed him. "Aww I missed you too kid." She teased. He frowned at her last word.

"Lighten up I was only joking." She wore a horrified expression when she felt Genma's hand slide a little too far up her thigh.

Sensing her discomfort, Ino pulled her to her feet. "Let's dance."

They danced for maybe thirty minutes when Tenten called them over for dessert. They returned to the table, Ino swaying a bit on her feet. Shikamaru shook his head at the sight. "What?" Ino asked.

"Nothing besides the fact that you're on your way to being wasted." He mumbled. She giggled, somehow finding that funny and sat herself on his lap. "You don't mind do you, Shika?"

Sakura found herself feeling out of place and awkward when they kissed. Hurriedly, she slid back into her original seat. Genma looked up from his chocolate liqueur when she seated herself, somewhat unwillingly, next to him.

In front of her, Sasuke turned back to his conversation with Kakashi.

She groaned inwardly. It was going to be a _long_ night.

* * *

TBC

* * *

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. As you may have noticed I'm taking this SasuSaku a little differently than my last story. Sasuke will be more Sasuke-like, as the circumstances are completely different than with _Missioning With You_. I think it is safe to say that Sasuke was already a little in love with her from the start during that story. Anywhoo, I'm also taking a slightly different approach with Sakura's character in this story. It's nothing big – just that it's a bit more analytical on her part as you may have noticed. Am I the only one that loves Genma? I find him kinda hot…but nowhere near my Sasu-kun. It's time to unravel a bit of the plot next chapter(which you can expect very soon). Happy belated New Year!

Surmise


	3. Isolated

_A/N: In response to several questions concerning Sakura's movement, it was stated that she was in there for two weeks. So it wasn't just some instant transgression. Hope that cleared everything. :)_

_Disclaimer: This part slipped my mind…I do not own Naruto._

* * *

_Chapter Three_

_Isolated_

* * *

The night had not been as long as she had previously anticipated. It ran rather smoothly and the company turned out to be quite enjoyable. Once given the proper chance, Genma revealed himself to be rather charming.

Sakura found her eyes drifting towards Shikamaru's wrist watch which told her it was well after three in the morning. This fact seemed to have already occurred to several people as they were gathering their things, in preparation to leave. She quickly followed suit. The thought of her nice restful bed in the confines of her own home had her picking up the pace.

Her polite decline of being walked home by the senbon mouthed nin had him only grinning in return. It would seem he was under the impression that she was playing the 'hard-to-get' card, to her intense horror. Kakashi and Gai, who had been keeping watchful eyes on the two the entire night, took it upon themselves to escort him out of the bar.

When she had made it home safely, though not without several curious looks, it was a huge relief. The medic fell asleep within moments in the comfort of her heavily layered bed.

Of course, she thought as she got dressed in a hurry some hours later, some appointment or whatnot would always find a way to disturb her peace.

The walk to the hospital was cold and annoying. Frosty air whipped at her face, which had her tugging her scarf up as high as it would go, and people stared like there was no tomorrow.

"I thought staring was still considered a social faux pas!" She hissed at an unsuspecting bystander who had his eyes glued to her form as she briskly walked by. He hurriedly turned back to his newspaper but not before muttering lowly, "No change in _that_ temper, I see."

She supposed she did not have to be so sensitive when it came to people staring. It was only a natural reaction to be curious since just two weeks ago, she had been an unresponsive vegetable. But did they have to be so brazen about it? It was not so annoying when they stared quietly and glanced away with a properly embarrassed look when she caught them.

Her wave at the secretary sitting at the front desk had the young woman doing a quick double take. Apparently she hadn't heard about her recent 'revival', as Ino had put it. Her feet marched methodically towards the Neurology department until she glimpsed Tsunade's blond head poking out of a room. She motioned for her to come in.

Upon entering the brightly lit office Sakura was greeted by a rather odd looking man. He was tall with a mouth that seemed to be set in a permanent frown, which was most likely the result of doing just that. Patches of gray hair lined his jaw and head in small little tufts. He looked about the age of sixty or a little younger.

"Hello, Sakura," He greeted as his opaque eyes roved over her form. "Your body seems to be responding very well to your newly conscious state. Come," He beckoned her to a small paper covered examination table. "Ah, now please remove your shoes, that's it."

She followed his instructions obediently in case of angering him. He seemed like the type to lash out if even marginally angered. The weary glance she shot at Tsunade only made the older woman smile encouragingly.

"Forgive me if I seem a little on edge," A little? Try massively. She almost snorted a loud at the thought. "It's just that I was asleep when Tsunade-hime called. That's why I'm still dressed for bed."

Now that he brought the fact to her attention, he was still in his pajamas. How ridiculous he looked.

She jumped back when he jutted his hand in her face. She blinked and then blushed embarrassedly. All the poor man had been trying to do was shake her hand. She touched her palm to his which he shook with a healthy grip despite his appearance.

"I'm Akemi Danno and I've been your coma worker for a year and six months. I'm also the head Neurologist in this unit which is why Tsunade-hime recruited me. I've known her for quite some time although her appearance dictates otherwise," he noted wryly. "It's nice to finally meet you," Sakura gave him a weird look. If he was her 'coma worker', like he claimed he was, then why was he acting like he had just laid eyes on her?

"Oh, well once you put it like _that," _He was clearly offended by her incredulous attitude. "I only met the boring, vegetated, and ghost of a woman some time ago. You seem to be quite different."

Sakura grit her teeth in anger at his under handed insults.

He stalked over towards his stack of papers before unsheathing a manila folder. Judging by his appraising eyes, she could only assume it was hers. "Let's talk about what happened that night, Sakura." The aged man paced back and forth across the tiles. "Your records say that you received a huge amount of chakra to the chest, right below the heart. Can you remember anything, anything at all?"

Oh yes. She remembered the sounds as clear as she heard him speaking. The sounds of people shrieking in agony as they were either being slaughtered or were about to be. The smells of that night seemed to waft into the room and up her nose.

The smell of her rotting and burnt skin as Naruto seared her flesh from her body almost had her holding her stomach in pain. If there were any awful stenches in the room – Akemi and Tsunade took no notice.

Her memory seemed to recall much more at Akemi's words. His words had been a key to her lock and now that he had successfully unlocked the forgotten finer points of that night – they poured in heaps from her brain.

"Stop!" Her hands clutched at her skull in an attempt to stop the flood of images. But Akemi did not stop. If anything he pressed on at the sight of a break through. _"I said stop you hard of hearing imbecile!"_

Tsunade placed a hand on his withered shoulder. "That's enough for today, Akemi-san."

Enough for today? If she had anything to do with it – she was never setting foot in this crazy department again! Akemi just shrugged and then placed her folder back inside the massive stack of whence it came. He turned to whisper to Tsunade but not low enough so that she couldn't hear.

"I liked her better when she was comatose. She was much more attractive when she was quiet. I'm afraid that was ruined when she opened that mouth of hers."

She openly gaped when her mentor did not reprimand him. In fact, the amber eyed woman chuckled at the straight forward rudeness. Furious and a little stung, Sakura slipped on her boots and then stomped her way to the door.

"You can count on me_ not _returning. I don't need some old washed out _fossil _picking through my brain, thanks." She slammed the door behind her.

"Don't worry Tsunade-hime, she'll be back. They always come back."

The sounds of her boots as they stomped across the white surface of the hospital floor covering along with the mild thrum of voices from various medics helped to calm her seething temper. Ugh, maybe she should have stayed in a coma. It was better than actually facing assholes in real life.

She had just reached the first floor and was another turn from the front lobby when she back tracked two steps. There in some deserted hallway, she had passed by a frenzied argument. She quickly leaned against the wall closest to her and peaked around the corner.

Naruto had an accusing finger pointed at Sasuke who stared indifferently.

Gasping, she hoped they had not seen or heard her pass by. The awkwardness was sure to abound then. Or she could just continue walking as if she had not seen a thing and let them work out their differences in private. But her curiosity had always been one of her defining traits.

"……Bastard…" Naruto took in another angry breath. "I heard about your little stunt at the hospital. She was right for refusing to see you."

Her eyes widened fractionally. How had he known that? That would mean he hadn't been as asleep as she had thought.

"And you treat her exactly the same! Does the fact that she would have given her life to help recede your curse seal even register with you? She gave her life to help stop me! I always knew she was too good for you."

A lump of gratitude for Naruto settled in her throat.

"So?"She could hear from his tone that Sasuke was not enjoying being yelled at. It was only a matter of time before he struck back. "I saved her life."

"So?" Naruto echoed back. "Probably on some little whim of convenience." He paused. "Why did you save her that night?" He asked quietly.

It was Sasuke's turn to pause. He opened his mouth to speak but a sudden ring from overhead had all three of them glancing up. The secretary had just paged some doctor to the third floor. Damn! She really wanted to know what he had been about to say. Naruto wasn't the only one wondering why he had saved her.

Naruto then shook his head lightly.

"Forget about it, Bastard. All I know is that you better treat her like she deserves or – you'll have to answer to me." He thumped his chest for emphasis. Sasuke smirked and turned his head to hide the ghost of a smile on his lips. They really were getting along.

"You know she isn't exactly a ray of sunshine anymore."He muttered.

"She's Sakura." And to Naruto that seemed like a sufficient explanation. He laughed and all of the intense hostility in the hallway vanished. He was back to hitting Sasuke on the back who shrugged away from him. Apparently the blond had said something funny that had _both_ of them laughing quietly.

She resumed her walk down the hallway and almost ran through the shiny glass door of the entrance. The cold November air stung at her face but she could care less. Her body came to a stop just outside of some random shop where she pressed herself into the wall.

At one point they had all been teammates. She might even stretch as far as to say friends. After Sasuke's betrayal and departure, Naruto had become her best friend. They had been close. But from what she had just witnessed, Naruto and Sasuke were _closer_.

It took her a moment to register the strange feeling coursing through her. She was…jealous. Jealous because of even after eight years of having only each other to lean on, Naruto somehow managed to look like a proper best friend at Sasuke's side. It was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders and he was suddenly free.

Although it took a lot for her to admit it, she was ultimately jealous because _he_ was so accepted and integrated into the village. Even after betraying his home it seemed like he had proved himself in a year and some months. People barely glanced up when he passed and there were no awful rumors going around about him.

How was that even possible?

She, who had basically committed her life to protecting the village, had just awoken from a coma and people stared wherever she went. It was kind of flattering, yes, but they also remarked on her temper and all things related.

Okay, she had a temper. But so freaking what? Sasuke had much more than a bad temper, his giant ego for instance. Why did it seem like her every move was being watched?

Like she had something to prove.

Was it that Sasuke had already earned his place and that she had yet to do that?

They looked at her as if _she_ were the traitor and not him.

She didn't know how she felt about that.

* * *

Sakura continued on in her usual mannerisms of staying as far away as possible from Sasuke and keeping to herself for the most part. Her hermit like behavior came to an abrupt halt from a very eye-opening visit from the Hokage herself after a week.

"You have got to stop this!" She'd demanded when she let herself in the door.

Sakura glanced back down at her reading material. "Stop what?" She had answered nonchalantly. The burning sensation of Tsunade's heated gaze made her flinch. _If looks could kill._

"All of this bitterness, that's what! Look at me!" She glanced up, reluctantly. "You are really killing me, Sakura. You were such a sweet girl and now nobody seems to know whether to duck or hide when you show up. Granted you have a temper," Why did everyone have to say that? She knew she had a TEMPER. "You knew how to control it just as good as your chakra. Try to behave yourself."

"You talk about me like I'm dead."

"You are to me." She'd answered solemnly.

So now she stood outside of her mentor's office, unsure of how to approach her.

"Come in." Damn, how did she do that?

The pink-haired woman hovered at the entrance for several moments before seating herself at one of the many chairs. "You know, it's creepy when you do that." She giggled at Tsunade's expression.

"There. You're officially starting to act like Sakura. You really weren't acting like yourself when you came around. Did the sudden appearance of Sasuke shock you into acting like his clone?" She paused dramatically. "It's not a very good look for you and honestly, it's not a good look for him either."

They both cracked up at her teasing.

"So what brings you here on this Saturday morning?" She threw back a shot of sake.

Sakura fiddled with her fingers. "Umm…I want a mission."

The blond raised a sculpted eye brow in surprise. "It's a little soon for that, don't you think? Unless you wouldn't mind something in the village…I'm sure I could find you something domestic orientated." She tried not to let her eye twitch at the word 'domestic'.

They were interrupted by Genma who strolled over to Tsunade to whisper something in her ear. The blond's expression changed from laid-back to serious as she listened to him. "I see. He always does that."

Genma took his leave after he was finished relaying his message but not before winking at a curious Sakura.

"What was _that_ about?" Tsunade asked through her chuckles.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Still witty, I see." And then she sighed. "Sasuke seems to be refusing to relay the specifics of his last mission to me as he has just returned to the village with Naruto. He always needs a night to himself before he turns in his report."

She hadn't known that he was gone on a mission. Not like she cared anyways.

"That sounds just like him," Sakura commented.

Tsunade crossed her hands together thoughtfully. And then she seemed to have just seen Sakura for the first time. With bright eyes she asked, "Could you just swing by there and get the details. It really is a pressing matter."

Sakura was already backing up wearily. "No, no, no," She said as she waved her hands in refusal. "I can't…I mean I couldn't. He doesn't like me Shishou so I doubt he would even greet me at the door."

Tsunade shook her head. "He saved your life. So he must like you."

"With anyone sane, that might actually apply. But this is Sasuke and he does stuff because he…has his reasons, I suppose," she muttered, distracted by the pleading look on the Godaime's face.

Ugh.

Her teeth chattered again as her mitten covered hand pounded on the front door of Sasuke's apartment. Apparently, he was fixing up the compound by himself and it was taking longer than expected. So he bought an expensive apartment on a private part of the village.

And his apartment was nice looking. _Really_ nice looking. It actually wasn't an apartment at all. It was more of a townhouse that extended to two-stories and was well kept. The next townhouse was maybe two kilometers away, a solid testament to the fact that he loved his privacy.

"Hello!" She screamed against the door. "Open-"

The door swung open revealing a very agitated Sasuke. Who was wearing oven mittens. She tried to look very businesslike and stifle her oncoming bout of laughter at the sight. She bit the inside lining of her cheek to stop a giggle. "…up."

To her surprise he stepped away from the doorway and stalked back inside his house. She stood- shocked that he hadn't slammed the door in her face.

"Close the door behind you." He muttered as he reappeared from what she could only assume was the kitchen. She noticed with an inward laugh, that his oven mittens were gone.

"Did I interrupt something?"

"Only my dinner." His tone made it very clear that he'd rather not been disturbed by her presence. He crossed his arms as he waited for her to explain herself.

"Oh, well Tsunade-shishou wanted me to gather the specifics of your last mission."

He paused and then looked her over in a way that made her uncomfortable. "Why'd she send you?" Ouch. She breathed in quickly and then exhaled – hoping her rage would disappear.

"Don't throw a fit, _Sakura," _His lips twitched in either amusement or agitation, she didn't know. "She usually sends some old idiot, that's all."

Her anger dissipated quickly, making her feel very strange. Now how was she supposed to act around him? Her anger usually clouded all other emotions, making it especially easy to be nasty towards him. Now that she thought about it, during all of their encounters, of which she honestly tried to avoid, it had been her that had been sort of mean. _Sort of._

"Besides," He shrugged a well-built shoulder. "It was the dobe's turn to write the report." He snorted.

"Good luck with _that_," he finished, clearly alluding to the fact that she would be at Naruto's apartment well into the night as it would take him that long to write it all down.

Sakura froze. Tsunade must have known that. She was willing to even go as far as to bet Genma had even told Tsunade it was Naruto who had been the one to refuse to write it and Tsunade got the bright idea to send Sakura out on some silly little notion that her and Sasuke would reconcile. Hah! She could totally work in the investigative unit.

Coughing, she felt her skin flush at her own gullibility. She supposed she should excuse herself before she made things worse. "Well…I'll be going."

He was looking a bit exasperated as he was most likely wondering why she was still standing in his house. She pivoted on her heel, eager to leave probably as much as he wanted her to stay. And that definitely wasn't a lot.

He stared curiously as she fumbled with the handle on his door. Sighing, he knocked her nervous fingers out of the way and opened the door himself. The color from her drained at her own stupidity and then it all came rushing back to her cheeks at her humiliation. "Sorry to trouble you," she mumbled.

She had _meant_ to run as fast as her feet could take her but the long arm that was suddenly pushed in front of her, stopped all means of moving. His palm made an audible smacking sound against the oak wood of the wall.

"Can you tell Tsunade to send my medicine over, with the usual medic?"He asked with a relatively light voice. It was probably taking all of his conscious effort not to say anything snide.

Despite her nervousness, she was curious enough to wonder why. Probably at the expression on her face he signed for the second time during her stay. "I have trouble sleeping, alright?"

"Oh."

He watched her face expectantly. "Well?"

"Oh. _Oh!_" She wanted to smack herself in the face and kick herself in the head at the same time. If that was even possible. "Sure thing."

He closed the door behind her but not before shaking his head when her scarf got caught in the juncture of the doorway. Once she was a safe distance away, she really did smack a sweaty palm to her forehead.

* * *

On the first day of December, it started to rain. And because it was too cold, the rain eventually turned into snow. _And_ because it was snowing, Sakura was slowly freezing into an icicle as she trudged towards Sasuke's townhouse.

Of course, Tsunade had denied that she had sent Sakura on some wild goose chase the previous day. It was all a mix up and the fault was Genma's. Well, she was going to ask Genma about that the next time she saw him.

Considering her luck, that particular meeting couldn't be too far off. The blond woman had also happily insisted that she take the Uchiha his pills, since the elderly nurse that usually brought it was out on an extended leave."How convenient," Sakura'd muttered wryly under her breath.

So, she fully intended to knock once and if he didn't answer then…well too damn bad. She would just have to drop them off on the doorstep and continue innocently on her way home. It wasn't like it was her duty or anything to make home visits. That trivial stuff was for interns. And as far as she was concerned, she'd already paid her dues.

And why couldn't he just walk to the hospital and get it himself? Or better yet, the pharmacy? She was sure there was one just around the corner. He did have legs after all.

Upon knocking once, Sakura crouched down, but jumped when someone coughed. Oh Kami. He had just seen her behind, hadn't he?

"_What are you doing_?"

She felt her hands become slick with nervousness. Even when it was freezing outside. "I..er..lost my earring!" She laughed nervously as she took her hand and acted like she was tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Her hand brushed her ear, secretly removing her earring, before discarding it into her sleeve.

Clearly annoyed, he scrutinized her. "Do you want me to help you look for it?" Translation: The sooner I find it, the sooner you can leave.

"Uh no!" She said just a little too quickly. Oh, for crying out loud! "It was cheap anyways. No harm, no foul. I came to bring you the medicine you requested, since the medic that usually brings it is out on vacation."

His expression told her that he obviously did not care who brought it, as long as he got it. And he looked like he needed it. His eyes were a bit red and his hair was even messier than usual.

"Someone didn't take their nap today," she muttered to herself.

His eyes snapped to hers, his hand extended out for his bottle of pills. She tossed it to him which he caught easily, before walking away.

"By the way," He said smoothly. "You look like you could use one too."

She froze, not knowing that he had heard her, and then increased her pace ten-fold.

* * *

She switched arms as she did her one handed push-ups, when suddenly she felt the weight of a grown man on her back. At her growl, Naruto only grinned. "It's good for you Sakura. It'll help increase your workout. Not to mention," he added slyly. "It'll help burn all that weight you gained since last year."

He gave a cry of pain when she leaned up so furiously on her next push, that he knocked his head on the sofa.

"I'm the same size since last year!" She sniffed, indignantly.

"My point," He wheezed as he rubbed his head tenderly. "Hey!" He added at the threatening glare she aimed over her shoulder. "I was just joking! You are perfect."

She did another three push-ups. "Damn straight."

They were hanging out at her house until Sasuke came by to pick Naruto up for their usual sparring session. She felt herself growing agitated at the thought and then finally gave up on reaching four hundred.

Mentally, she patted herself on the back for reaching two-hundred and fifty in only ten minutes. She'd found out the hard way that since she had been in one position for over a year, her body had lost some of its athleticism. Another reason why Tsunade didn't give her missions outside of 'domestic' regions.

Kakashi was too busy to train her. And Naruto was simply too engrossed with Hinata and his training with Sasuke to even care. In the meantime, she had to simply get in shape while she waited for her training with Tsunade to begin.

Grabbing the towel that she had slung over the couch, she patted at her face. Naruto made a disapproving noise. "What?" She questioned.

He looked pointedly at her body. "Why don't you go put on something a bit more substantial than that?"

'That' consisted of her regular shorts and a sleeveless shirt. What was wrong with that? As far as she was concerned, a lot of kunoichi wore more revealing clothing. And it wasn't like she was about to go parading outside in such flimsy material, it was snowing after all.

"Why? The only person here to see me is you." She shot him a withering look. "And you've made my state of attractiveness quite clear, _thank-you-very-much_." She mumbled indignantly.

He cracked up at her face before ruffling her already messy short ponytail. "Aww, Sakura-chan. I was only joking. You and I both know you're hot."

She smiled, pleased. And then she frowned. "Watch it Naruto!" She waggled a finger at him in a mock reprimanding manner. "What would Hinata say to this, hm?"

He laughed again good-naturedly. "She'd agree!" She slugged a pillow at him.

"You're really rotten, you know that?" They both faltered in their laughing when her doorbell rang. For once someone actually used her doorbell! If she could just get Ino to do the same, then maybe she would not have to buy a new door so soon.

"Hello, Sasuke," The medic greeted.

He blinked and then looked over her shoulder. "Is Naruto in there?" For some reason he seemed to be in a hurry.

"Yeah Bastard!" There was silence as he fumbled around for something. "Just let me find my pack and then we can go."

So, he was forced to actually meet her gaze when they both waited in silence. As if just seeing her for the first time, his eyes widened fractionally.

She inwardly cringed. Kami, her luck really was terrible. She could only imagine what she must look like as he stared and then glanced away, as if disgusted by the sight.

Okay, maybe she was a little sweaty, her chest did feel rather hot, and her hair was a little rumpled, but did it really warrant all of that?

Naruto burst through the doorway, both of them sighing in relief. "Let's go," The blond exclaimed as he clumped the dark-haired male on the back.

Sakura watched as they walked off towards the training grounds.

"We can go after I take another shower," Sasuke mumbled to Naruto. The blond only looked a little put off and then shrugged.

Sakura closed the door behind her with a roll of her eyes.

He certainly was strange.

* * *

_TBC_

* * *

A/N: So I updated today! Thanks so much for the lovely reviews. They motivated me to stop on my winter break assignment and start writing. Pretty soon I had a whole chapter done. Since I already wrote chapter four that should be up in a couple of days, maybe. It needs editing. And jadedsiren, you almost gave me a heart attack! Your review could have been a chapter, it was so long and detailed. It was very wonderful to read as were the rest. See you all soon.

Surmise


	4. Haunted

_A/N: Just as a reminder this is rated M for intense suggestiveness, language, and possible violence. Something that I think warrants the M rating and I also wouldn't feel very comfortable putting it under T._

* * *

_Chapter Four_

_Haunted_

* * *

Painful blasts of frosted air whipped at the exposed flesh of the pink-haired medic's face, making her grit her teeth against the cold. Her steady pace – which had taken her longer than she would have liked to admit – was dwindling. She blamed it on her out of practice lungs.

Her usual late evening run was disrupted by her seemingly chronic fragileness. With a sigh of defeat, she brought her sprint to a slow paced jog. She refused to stop even as her heart beat ten times faster than it should. Tsunade had warned her to not push herself but she had also said in the same breath, to not let her condition worsen.

And it seemed no matter how hard she tried to forget – the universe always had a funny way of reminding her of it constantly.

Bemused, Sakura stared at a civilian that waved her over from across the snow laden street. Glancing, somewhat warily, towards both sides of the lane, she sprinted towards an aged man.

"Sorry to disrupt your run, Sakura-san. It's just a whiteout is about to hit and you know how those things go."

Ah. Only too well. Last year – well the year she had been conscious anyways – she had none to wisely gotten stuck in some abandoned house when it hit.

She smiled kindly at the aged man as he turned towards his front door. She waved slightly as he did the same, before disappearing into his house. It was nice to know that some people still cared enough to look out for her, even if they were in the older crowd.

A much needed surveillance of the whitened village told her that it was in fact getting worse. The sky had darkened to an angry shade of gray, almost black. Sakura shivered, in spite of herself, before reaching in one of the pockets of her pants.

Her fingers gripped the small plastic bottle labeled, "_Uchiha Sasuke"_, before she lifted it into her view. He had requested a refill of his sleep medication a few days ago, and she had done so, and then completely forgot to deliver it. Not that she was in any particular hurry. Maybe a few days away from the stuff would do him some good. Kami knows, if he had been using it while she was still in a coma, then it was a miracle he wasn't addicted to it.

A vision of a strung out Sasuke made her shudder. She wasn't so cold that she would wish addiction on any one, although he had certainly been testing her limits.

Turning her thoughts towards the small tawny bottle, she let out a long whistle in amazement. He must have been having some twisted nightmares in his mind if Tsunade had prescribed him _that_. Her pink eye brows drew together in puzzlement.

During some of her most hectic hours under Tsunade, they had covered the topic of narcotics and their effects. They had also covered the specifics of what one must do when being treated by such a strong drug. And she clearly remembered that going on missions was a huge no-no, no matter how difficult.

And hadn't Sasuke just returned from his rounds on the border? She was also pretty sure – no she was positive – that he had also just completed an S-rank the other day.

The medic in her taking over, she continued her familiar sprint around the lake, but dipped slightly, and ran towards the side of the village that housed her easily annoyed ex-teammate. Somehow she had forgotten about her laps. _And_ the impending whiteout that threatened to spill over at any moment.

Above her, snow began to converge within itself, blanketing everything in its path.

* * *

The lower half of her jaw clambered noisily with the top half as she beat her frozen-yet-still-burning fists against the door. It crept open slightly before she was yanked inside.

"Um…" At least her teeth weren't chattering anymore.

Sasuke groaned as he took in the sight outside and her frozen silhouette. One of his hands covered his face in agitation as he started to breathe shallow breaths. Finally after composing himself, he turned to look at her, disturbed.

"And this couldn't have waited till morning?" She noticed his voice was unusually raspy.

Ah-ha! Definitely from a lack of sleep.

She fidgeted with the hemming of her mittens before glancing up. He was still waiting expectantly for her answer. "Well it_ could_ have. But I just thought that you might have wanted this."

She held up his medication. His expression broke into one of huge relief as he outstretched waiting hands. Smirking, she said, "Not so fast, Uchiha. This label clearly says no missions or strenuous activities." She eyed his red orbs- which were not from Sharingan- that were underlined with shadows in disapproval. "And from the looks of it, I'd say you have had a taste of both."

He shrugged and then swiftly grabbed the plastic container with ease.

"Hey!" She protested as he popped two into his mouth and then swallowed, dryly. He arched an eyebrow. "I paid. So I own." However simply put, his logic was indisputable.

She turned towards the door, fully intending to leave. Sometimes, some arguments just weren't worth it. And from the looks of it, he was going to do what he wanted despite her nagging. So fine. He could just drop dead on patrol one night, and that would be that. She wasn't going to cram common sense into his head where it should have already been.

"What are you doing?" He questioned at her retreating figure.

"Leaving?" She answered, annoyed.

He looked at her incredulously. "In this weather? She would have my neck for this if I let you roam out in some whiteout."

"She" was obviously Tsunade. She knew this from the suddenly thick annoyance in his voice, something that he only reserved for the Hokage and herself, especially for the latter of the two.

Sakura frowned at him. "So? I am sure, without a doubt in my soul, that you would have found some other way to get your ass kicked by Tsunade." Her lips parted into a forced sweet smile. "Let's not prevent the inevitable." With her last words, she continued on her way out, but stopped once she reached the threshold.

"Fine. But I do not intend to camp out here _all_ night – waiting for this stupid storm to pass," she sighed.

"And I don't intend to let you stay here all night either."

Fuming, Sakura shrugged out of her coat and hung it on the rack that leaned against the wall. "That was cute, really it was," she seethed through clenched teeth.

How typical it was of him to ask her to stay only to save himself some grief and _not _for her personal well-being. He would no doubt attempt, key word: _attempt_, to throw her out when the sky showed the slightest sign of letting up.

He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed casually. And then he started to laugh. Not just the chuckles that she might have imagined from their gennin days. No, it was the kind of laughter that shook the whole body and induced head throwing.

Blood rushed to her cheeks in fury at his aggravating laughter. "What!?" She half demanded, half screamed.

The dark-haired shinobi merely shook his head before watching her through thick lashes. "Look at you." Well that certainly was stupid of him. She couldn't actually look at herself without the help of a mirror. "So…worked up. I said less than twenty words and you're already red in the face. Amazing. Kakashi was right – some things never change."

That made her a mixture of things. Angry. Embarrassed. And a tad bit confused. She knew that he was talking about her temper but he could have just as easily been talking about her skills as a shinobi or other things. Other things like her body. Did she still look like a twelve year old to him? Or did he see her as the twenty year old woman that she was? With a jolt of surprise, she realized he was right. He had only said a few words and it was enough to get her head racing with questions and concerns.

Besides, it wasn't like she cared what he saw when he looked at her. But it was rather annoying that he could get under her skin so quickly.

"You're right," She pointedly looked him up and down. "They don't."

Sasuke laughed again, that same loud and thunderous sound that fit him, oddly enough. It was so strange to watch him act in such a way that she had never even dreamed he was capable of. Had a year and some months really changed him so?

"Ah. I haven't laughed like _that_ since…"

But she tuned him out. All of her concentration seemed to center on the fact that she had _never _seen him laugh like that before. Not even with Naruto. She would be lying if she said that didn't make her at least a tiny bit smug. Even if his laughter had been at her expense.

Coming back to life, Sakura stalked past him and towards the fireplace that was visible just behind the entry. He followed silently, probably still amused with her attitude.

"That feels good…" She sighed to herself. Her frozen fingers began to unthaw slowly, one by one. When they began to throb, she hissed. Immediately, warm fingers encased hers, rubbing soothingly.

She found herself gasping and flinching, possibly in unison. "Wha-" She started but stopped once the Uchiha fixed her with a stern gaze.

"Frostbite," he answered simply. At her confused stare, he sighed. "Aren't you a medic? It's minor, if you hadn't realized that by now."

She bit back the sarcastic remark on her tongue and remained silent. His fingers _did_ feel unbelievably good. He watched her as his skillful fingers massaged the stinging skin of her red hands. With a gulp, she realized that she probably looked like some poster child for hand massages with her head thrown back to the side in pleasure.

She snatched her fingers back and stuffed them in her pockets. "Thanks but I'm sure they are not about to fall off anytime soon."

He smirked before raising a perfect shoulder beneath his expensive looking grey sweater. "What were you doing anyways? Don't tell me you went running." His lips twitched. "Again?"

"No!" She lied, defensively.

"Right." He answered before disappearing into the next room. Clearly, he didn't believe her. Sakura seated herself onto the lush carpet of what appeared to be a den.

There were no decorations in sight. Just an exceptionally well made couch that appeared to have never been sat on and a small fireplace adorned the room. Exhausted,she rested her head against one of the seats and draped a blanket over herself that had been covering the back of the sofa. It was rather nice to feel the comfort of the fire encase her, even if it wouldn't last long.

Sasuke walked back into the room, except this time he was accompanied by a mug of something that might have been tea. With a small grunt, he placed it in front of her.

The pink-haired medic blinked twice and then turned to look at him questioningly. "Just drink it," was his answer. Hesitantly, she sniffed, and then cringed when he glared. Maybe she was being silly, it's not like he had much to gain if he poisoned her.

Determined to wipe the stupid smirk from his lips, she took a huge gulp. "Ow!" The hot liquid burned her tongue and then her throat as she had no choice but to swallow it. Turning towards Sasuke, she expected to find him rolling on the floor laughing.

He wasn't rolling on the floor, but he was laughing. Angry, she dismissed the pain and downed the entire mug in a long drink. When he didn't shut up, she felt as if she might explode.

So, it was a surprise when she felt the mug crack and then slide into two jagged pieces. Glancing up at him, she noted with a hint of smugness that he had stopped.

"Sorry."

He didn't answer. Silently he removed the broken pieces from her hand and went to dispose of what was left of his mug.

The guilt began to settle in as the anger suddenly felt really immature. "Really, I am sorry," she apologized when he took a seat next to her on the floor.

"That was my mother's," he mumbled quietly.

Immense guilt – ten times worse than what she had just been feeling like – washed through her. She was horrible! That had been Uchiha Mikoto's and she had just destroyed it.

"Oh…Sasuke-"

When he turned to look at her, she expected him to be furious. Except, he wasn't. His normally bleak eyes sparked with a teasing light. Unable to help herself, her eyes watched as his lips, moist from his tongue, parted into a smirk that resembled a small smile.

"I'm joking."He laughed quietly at her floundering expression.

Illuminated by the firelight, his hair was stained to an almost blue color. His beauty was the kind that was startling yet cold. But, sitting next to her with an almost smile; she could see the man he might have been – if not haunted by death.

Her eyes moved of their own accord across his face as his lips trembled with laughter. Was her staring not obvious? She certainly hoped not. His sudden humanness was like a glossy new plaything; she just wanted to touch without disturbing the wrapping.

Her voice seemed to find her much faster than she would have liked. "Oh? I didn't know you could. Isn't that bad though? When someone cannot differentiate between when you're joking and when you aren't?"

He snorted. "Quit being the Hokage's apprentice for one second and just be you. Or are you always such an analyst?"

"Pretty much. Are you always such an optimist?" She teased, grinning. Of course he was the complete opposite of an optimist. He was neither hopeful nor idealistically happy.

He turned towards the flickering flames, hiding the trace of a smile. "Pretty much."

Sakura yawned, in spite of herself. She felt his gaze as his eyes shifted to the side to watch her tired form. "Go to sleep already," he murmured. She chuckled quietly to herself at his words. "I thought you didn't want me to stay and look," They both turned to face the side of the room that held a large bay window. The curtains were parted enough for them to make out the soft billowing of snow. "It's not coming down as hard."

"It's still too cold."

She raised an eyebrow. "Or are you just craving my company and you don't want me to go? I mean, if I were you I wouldn't want me to go either," she joked.

The kunoichi expected him to lash out at her teasing. Surely, his good mood could only last so long. But instead, he opted for rolling his eyes. "Shut up, Sakura."

Inconspicuously, she pretended to cough as the overpowering need to yawn arose.

* * *

Minutes later – or what _felt _like minutes later – she was being shaken into awareness. The groan that left her mouth was somewhat muffled by the cushion she buried her face in. The incessant pushing continued even when she swatted her hands.

"Go away." Sasuke disregarded her, snatching the blanket off as he went. She hissed as cold air hit her sensitive body.

"Ass."

Ignoring her, he pulled her to her feet. "Get up."

All sleep was abandoned at his words. "Why?" Was he kicking her out already? And to think, she was just starting to think of him as a human with an actual soul.

"Telephone," he answered.

"Please, don't let me push you for details," she sneered.

He simply thrust the receiver to her ear. On the other end she could make out the sound of papers being shuffled. "Hello?"

"Ah, get your happy little behind here ASAP," Tsunade barked through the phone.

"Huh?"

"Training session. Seven o'clock sharp. Any of that sound familiar?"

Sakura swore loudly, her eyes darting to the clock in the hallway. Sure enough it was a few minutes after seven. She had no idea that she had fallen asleep for that long, much less in _this_ house.

"I'll be right over."

"And I'll be waiting. Something that I don't do often and you should heed, starting right now." She chuckled mischievously. "And once you arrive, you can tell me why I had to call all of your friends to see where you were and by chance – I finally decide to call the last person I would ever think of calling. And what does he tell me? You stayed the night. Fun stuff I bet." She howled with laughter.

Irritated, Sakura pressed the end button. The pink haired nin dropped the phone back into his waiting hands before raking a hand through her disheveled locks.

As if knowing what she desired, Sasuke pointed to the hallway and mumbled, "Fourth door on the right."

"But I don't have any clothes…"

He shook his head before stalking back into the kitchen.

His bathroom was simple and like the rest of his house – clean and seemingly unused. A pile of clothes waited for her on the marble counter and the water was already running. In a span of ten minutes, she was out of the shower and dressed.

The reflection in the mirror depicted a woman wearing a simple grey blouse and slacks. And to her surprise, they fit. He had also supplied her with underwear; the bra just a little too tight.

Once dressed in her coat and scarf, she turned to thank him for his kindness, however strange it might have been.

He was right behind her, his expression not exactly cold, but more aloof. "Well, thanks. I never meant to fall asleep on you. I must be terrible company," she grinned sheepishly.

He considered that for a moment. "Besides the snoring – it doesn't matter."

"I so do not snore!" It took her an instant to realize that he was teasing her, or at least she hoped he was.

"Thanks for the clothes although Sasuke, I must admit, I never pegged you for one to keep a lot of women around." However jokingly put, she couldn't help but feel a bit sour at the prospect.

He must have kept plenty of women around because the clothes she was currently wearing were very feminine. He merely gave her a strange look, his black hair falling into his eyes.

"My mother."

Confused, Sakura blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Those were my mother's things," He said plainly. "I had to move most of her things so I could fix the house," His voice was now rather brusque, his shoulders squared.

"I didn't mean-"

The curt look he fixed her with stopped her short. "I think you should leave now." Sakura tried her best to not cringe at his bluntness. She apologized again before pivoting on her heel.

Behind her, the door was closed quietly.

* * *

Whoever claimed rigorous exercises were the key to being physically fit, was a fool. Tsunade had probably ordered Sakura to do every work out in existence and then some.

Her hands, weak from hitting weights, yanked her apartment door open with more force than necessary. Sakura dragged her body towards the bathroom, hoping that the water would be hot enough to rinse away all of the sweat and grime.

Once finished, she pulled her hair out of her face, and collapsed onto her bed. Training with Tsunade was just as terrifying as it had been on her very first day. For hours, Tsunade had just about made her pull almost all of the muscles in her body – some of which she hadn't known existed.

Her thoughts, however, lingered on her latest blunder. She had offended him. Of that she was sure. Damn her huge mouth for ruining everything. But what was she supposed to think? How many grown men still kept their mother's clothes? But how many men had lost their mothers to their own brother?

It was heartbreaking in a way. He had been so at ease with her and then like someone had just pressed rewind, he had reverted back into his usual self. Cold and all.

At any rate, it was none of her business if he decided to keep women around. And it was most definitely not her place to assume as such. But she was just a little interested. If he did keep women around, then what exactly was his type? Probably inhumanly exquisite females that could keep their mouths shut when they were supposed to.

Snorting at the thought, she rolled over.

* * *

_With his back to the destruction, he turned to look. Behind him,_ _pearlescent light bathed his form. _

_His face was cruel and twisted when he said, "Foolish little brother, if you want to kill me, despise me, hate me. Run, run…cling to life and survive in an unsightly way. Then someday, when you have these same eyes," Red and black warped together into a vortex of murder. "Come to me."_

* * *

Wheezing heavily, Sakura shot upwards as her right hand outstretched for something. Realizing that the danger had only been in her dream, she let it fall back to the bed.

Her shoulders heaved profoundly as she wept. The emotions – betrayal, longing, hate, and sorrow- coursed through her system with frenzied vitality. Never had she felt something so physically powerful. She did not know how to handle it. Because she knew…they weren't _hers_. The feelings. The tears.

It was too unnatural, too strong. Her dream had been so real. She watched it all as if she had been there. Yes, he had spoken…as if he were speaking directly to her. It was terrifying.

It felt like a memory even though she had none of him. No, it was something more than that. A nightmare.

Uchiha Itachi.

Choking down a sob, she stumbled from her bed and towards the hallway. She dug into the first drawer in her end table and pulled out a frayed piece of paper. Her fingers were clumsy against the key pad of her phone as she dialed the number that was scrawled in the corner.

"Hello?" A gruff voice answered. "I don't appreciate prank calls-"

"Akemi-san…" The doctor that had previously tried to help her was now her only option. "Something's wrong with me."

* * *

_TBC_

* * *

A/N: As a reminder, Akemi would be the doctor from chapter three who attempted to help Sakura. In response to my absence, let me just say it has been a very troubling time for me. Ironically enough, my aunt had fallen into a level of unconsciousness for several days – almost falling into a coma. And to think it was caused by head trauma from falling in the shower. Now, I can't take a shower without being weary of it. LOL.

Thankfully she's fine. I just find that ironic. Sorry for rambling…any who thanks for the lovely reviews. It is safe to say that I definitely know how I want this fic to end and I have even written several chapters ahead of schedule. Next update should be uploaded fairly quickly. In response to those who asked, the sequel for _Missioning With You_ should be up in a couple of days. It's still untitled. LMAO.

Ciao.

Surmise


	5. Bonded

_A/N: Just like to say that some of this chapter will be separated into smaller parts for necessity's sake. No need to worry, it's still relatively long._

* * *

_Chapter Five_

_Bonded_

* * *

"What's happening to me?"She breathed.

Her doctor, grayed with maturity, studied her with somber eyes. There was a subtle amount of pity in his face that made his thoughts painfully clear. He couldn't help her. No one could.

Sakura made a sound of anguish, her head falling helplessly into her hands.

"I will try my best to explain."

* * *

Palms pressed tightly into the corners of the sink, she leaned towards the manifestation in the glass. Her reflection was nothing like it had been the previous day. Then again, she hadn't been on the edge of breaking the previous day either.

She pressed herself closer, blood pulsing angrily in her palms, forming bruises. The woman looking warily at her in the mirror couldn't have been her reflection. In view of the fact that, the woman appeared dead.

Her skin was extremely pale, covered in a fresh sheen of sweat. Her hair was lank as it stuck to her forehead and shoulders. Dark circles encased both eyes. And the eyes themselves…

While both eyes were starting to turn red from a lack of sleep where they should have been white – that was nothing compared to the irises. Whereas both eyes were the same mellow green, her left iris was different somehow, darker.

Leaning closer, she gasped. An inky black color, somehow familiar, was starting to dominate the green…almost as if her natural eye color was receding.

"Who are you?" If her reflection knew, it gave no indication of an answer.

* * *

Somewhere, the clock ticked. Sakura's eyes shifted instinctively towards it. It was just past two in the morning and she had yet to fall asleep. Pushing against the weight of her eye lids, she slugged down another gulp of caffeine.

She moaned quietly as each ticking of the clock resounded like a crack of thunder in her ears. Disgusted with herself, she pushed away the plastic container of coffee before closing her eyes.

Maybe if she just rested them. Even for a minute…

_Danzo sunk to his knees, blood trickling from his mouth. He collapsed lifeless onto the dirt as he was kicked aside just as quickly. Wind raced past, as the sole surviving Uchiha ran towards the chakra that called to him._

_That chakra, evil as it was, called to his senses. He knew exactly who it belonged to. The only question was how? What had the village done to anger him to the point of no return? He shouldn't care. As far as he was concerned, the village could burn. Maybe then they could come to understand just a slither of his pain._

_Flickering just past a massive expanse of bodies, Sasuke came to a stop. Below him, Naruto was holding something in the air. He watched as whatever it was struggled. Eyes spinning, he pinpointed the figure immediately._

_He had her. "Her" as in the insufferable girl who had pinned for his affections ever since they'd met. "Her" let out a piercing scream of agony as her body shuddered and then curved._

_He knew despite his intention of leaving after he killed the one responsible for his hell-of-a-brother less-wasted-empty-life that he wouldn't be able to flee. Not when the broken woman on the ground suddenly morphed into one from his nightmares._

_No, she wasn't his mother. He refused to let his mind twist the image of short pink hair into long locks of black. Forcing the image to blur and then recede all together, he was pulled back into the present by another scream._

Dry air gusted through her mouth as she screamed silently against the oak wood of her dining table. She had awoken herself; her attempt to scream had been stopped by the parchedness of her throat. Barely even awake, she felt the tug of sleep pull her under once again as her head collapsed back onto the table.

_Not your mother, he thought to himself. It was like a mantra in his head, or at least a broken effort at one. She was…Sakura. And Sakura was dying._

_Red, streams of it, teemed from her chest where a gaping hole lay. At best, she had merely minutes left until her body gave in. Unable to stand as an unnoticed shadow any longer, he flashed towards the blond's side, who was now somewhat in his right mind, and hooked his fingers around his shoulders. _

"_Move!"_

_It was easy enough to throw him into the opposite direction, almost as if he wanted to be stopped. A bit of light blue static leaked out into a weak current. It crackled and whipped the air until his hands found purchase against her chest._

_Sakura bled and bled as she writhed and convulsed. Her eyes were red, not the bright green that he remembered them, and looked as though they were burning through her sockets. _

_Pressing a hand to the hole, he recalled something he had seen Kabuto do, his chakra pushed into the wound. She wouldn't feel it. Of course, his chakra control was only above average and the wound closed for the most part. It took little time to summon an undersized snake, using it as a tourniquet to bind her chest._

_It hissed up at him, whereas Sasuke looked deeper at her broken body. Beyond the heavily scarred flesh, chakra thrummed inside her body. It was easy to see which was hers. Dark pink, almost magenta was clouded by boiling red chakra._

_It almost hurt his eyes to look at the cursed substance but he strained them even more. Naruto's chakra was subsiding gradually. _

_All of this happened in a span of two minutes before he realized her heart was giving out. Wasting no time, he pressed his lips to hers. His lungs, strong and powerful, lent her its air. In turn, her body shuddered again._

_His hands thumped against her chest as he timed his movements. Behind him, nearing footsteps approached. He had to leave now or it would be too late._

_But he couldn't bring himself to leave the corpse of a girl he once knew behind. Because she was nothing more than a body struggling on its last string. He was wasting time. He knew it. But she had always been so fragile…so weak._

_Still his hands thundered against her chest, pushing a dying heart. His lips pressed against hers again, forcing more air into her. Yet, he could taste the coppery flavor of her blood. Panicked by the sight, he realized her body was rejecting the oxygen._

_Sakura sputtered and jerked as she drowned in her own life liquid. Instinctively, his hands cupped her head. The moment she stilled, his mouth was connected to hers again._

_Her lips were an odd combination of iciness and flames. Her body was losing blood, leaving her lips cold. But the lost blood was currently spewing from her mouth, giving it a warm sticky feel that was still overshadowed by the coldness._

_The feel and taste of her blood left him sick and out of breath. Her heartbeat had not picked up and her vitals were slowly fading despite his help. Everything became a whirlwind of color._

_The sky-the clashing of metal- Naruto's screams of suffering – even the small motes of dust in the night air, faded into black._

_He existed only with the broken girl in his arms. They alone made up his world. He was about to become a liar. All of the bonds, all of the bridges he had burned – were about to reconnect themselves._

_He could never escape what he was about to do. Nor could she. They would be bound in a way that even the most intimate of lovers might envy._

_He, Uchiha Sasuke, would give her some of his own life. And in return he would receive some of hers. It was simple enough to bite his thumb and puncture the skin. His hands banished the small serpent that was constricting the wound before he squeezed his bleeding thumb. One drop would be enough. Before he would complete the transfer, he swiped his other thumb across her chest. _

_Her blood was just as vital as his. A thin drop of scarlet trickled from his finger and into the wound. It sizzled where it met her flesh, her body jumpstarting. Her heart took off like the fiercest of birds as her eyes flew open._

_Her eyes stared straight into his. They were green now, the color exactly as he remembered it being. Gone were the remnants of Naruto's chakra. Eyes never leaving hers, he picked up a discarded shuriken, and sliced open his left arm._

_A swipe of his other thumb, wet with her blood, sealed the gash instantly._

_Behind him, he heard the Hokage woman come to a standstill._

"_She's alive," he heard her whisper._

_Yes she was. It surprised and repulsed him to know that there was a sense of relief at the realization. It was decided then. The moment he chose to stay to save her, he knew what it would cost him._

_Maybe they would be smart and kill him. Especially since he just took the life of one of the most prestigious men in the village. But, he had also saved a life as well. _

"_I know that you killed a man tonight," The current Hokage, one of the Sannin, whispered. But she only had eyes for her beloved apprentice. "And I don't care."_

_So he would be allowed to live. How gracious of her. What did they expect him to do? Jump up and clap for joy? He preferred death, seeing as there was nothing to live for anymore. _

_Turning to finally look upon the destruction, he was mildly surprised to see that he was being watched by a rescue party. Kakashi held up a heavily breathing Naruto, who could only stare transfixed at him._

_Gently, he wrapped his hands under the curve of her knees and neck. He hoisted her into the air just as easily as he might lift a pillow._

_The woman, or Tsunade as they called her, seemed to realize the significance of the moment. "Team Kakashi complete once more….never thought I'd live to see it."_

_

* * *

  
_

Her most recent dream – or memory- left her drained for hours. Granted, it answered many of her questions; it also left her in shock. Whatever the cause, it had brought back some of _her_ own memories of that night.

The experience of dying was something that she would never forget. Not even if she lived for an eternity. It was just all the more painful that her best friend had been the one to almost kill her and it took the man she loved to save her.

How pathetic, she scoffed at herself; she was for still being in love with him. She had felt his emotions after all. Heard his every thought like it was being played a loud just for her. Although he did save her life, she had also felt the disgust.

Akemi had shed some light on her situation earlier. Cellular memory was a type of theory that was based on the assumption that memories could be transferred to another being through the use of organs or cells. Although Sasuke had not given her one of his organs, he had used some jutsu that transferred blood. Blood had cells. And apparently cellular memory still applied to it.

However, the specifics of his jutsu were still unknown. Akemi had only guessed that whatever linkage was between them- it was purely emotional. If he could not keep his emotions under control, she would most likely experience them.

If he were having bad dreams – which he must be because she was freaking having them!- then she would see it all. His tears would be hers.

So, she stood outside his door, her nerves sky high. What was she going to say? Surely, he must know everything. Why hadn't he told her? Was he still mad at her?

The pink haired woman stopped her fist before it could connect with the surface of his door. Instead, she dug into her purse. Once equipped with a pen and a scrap of paper, she scribbled down something that she should have said a long time ago.

_Thank you_, it read.

Of course, he would know what she was talking about. She had never really thanked him for saving her life and he must think her cocky by now. Sakura slipped it under the door, and fled the perimeter.

Knowing that she was bonded to him in such a way and _still _not being able to identify if they were friends or not, scared her. She just didn't know how she could face him anymore.

* * *

Knees tucked under her chin, Sakura contemplated her life. Her seat, under the evening sun was relatively comfortable. She was visiting the neighborhood park. All around her, little kids were frolicking and having snow ball fights.

It was pretty sad to admit that she did not fit in anywhere and was reduced to sitting in a children's playground. Despite her popularity before, now people seemed to shy away from her, as if she were contaminated. And that was very well the reason. Of course everyone would know Kyuubi's chakra had almost killed her.

It had been inside of _her_. Like Naruto, she was now sort of an outsider. Or maybe she was being stupid and paranoid. Maybe it all really was just inside her head.

When the seat next to her was filled, she merely glanced away.

"Hiding out?" A teasing voice asked.

_Kind of._

"Hello to you too, Genma." She let her eyes drift towards his handsome face. He was dressed warmly, like herself, in a coat and scarf.

He chuckled, the senbon in his mouth bobbing. "I was getting there, you know. But _hello_, Sakura," he flourished with a wave of his hand. "Now tell me why you've been here all day."

"How'd you know that?"

"Because you just admitted to it?" He grinned at her inflamed cheeks. "Reverse psychology's a bitch."

Instead of getting angry, she just smiled. "You're cunning, old man. But," He watched her expectantly. "What're you doing here?" Her question seemed to make him smile.

"I live about a block from here and as I was just strolling by, I caught sight of something pink – and here I am. But what are _you_ doing here? Man troubles?" He added slyly.

Sakura went pink. "No! Well…yes…but not like you're thinking."

He nodded seriously, yet was able to look amused. "I see. So who's the lucky guy that captured your attention. Hey now!" He exclaimed at her warning look. "I was just joking; I know you said it wasn't like that."

She leaned her head against her drawn up knees. "It's not, believe me." Anyone could hear the remorse in her voice.

"And you are disappointed that it's not?" Apparently Genma hadn't missed it either. Despite his usual flirtiness he seemed concerned for her. To a certain extent anyways.

"No, I'm confused about how to approach him. I mean I just learned something truly startling about him and I feel as if I can't look at him the same."

"Well you should. Whatever transpired between you two is not enough to break the bond you share." How ironic his words were. That certain bond had been burned and broken years ago only to be replaced by one of blood.

"Tell me this Genma, when did you get so knowledgeable about relationships? I always pegged as a seducer and not as a gentleman. Guess I was wrong, eh?"

He chuckled, a few chocolate locks falling into his eyes. "A popular misconception, miss. If you must know who the real Casanova is - it is Kakashi."

"No!" Sakura gasped. "Not my sensei!"

"Your ex-sensei," He corrected. "Is just a ladies' man, sorry to knock him off that high pedestal of yours."

"Seriously?"

"Nah, it's really Gai."

They exploded into laughter, a few weary mothers steering their kids away in concern. It was amazing how he managed to pull off the senbon look when on anyone else it would have been tacky. She supposed it was part of his charm.

"Well," Sakura sighed. "I do have another question for you, Genma."

"Shoot."

"Why is everyone avoiding me like the plague?"

His brown eyes flashed angrily at her question, his jaw hardening. "Don't worry about them Sakura," was all he answered.

"Why won't you tell me?" She demanded furiously.

The mask of anger melted away and smoothed back into his normally playful expression. "Forgive me. I just get a little worked up at such narrow-mindedness. I've seen what they did to Naruto when he was growing up as a kid and it ain't pretty. I think that ever since that old geezer died," He was obviously referring to Danzo. "Or murdered I should say by that teammate of yours, they've been looking for someone to blame. And they're too scared to actually show their anger at him so they turned to you."

Sakura froze. "Me…why?"

He sighed heavily. "Because they think you made him return."

Upset, Sakura jumped to her feet, prepared to grab the nearest civilian and snap their neck. Genma was hot on her heels. "Hey," He soothed as he yanked her towards him. "You know the truth and that's all that matters, right?"

Did her own realizations matter? Yes and no. It did help to calm her temper but what she knew and what the people knew were two different things. She knew, courtesy of her dream last night, that_ he _had returned because of yet another lust for vengeance. She had felt it, that horrible thrill when he had snapped Danzo's neck. She had been _happy_.

"Right," she echoed despite her inner turmoil. "But back to my original problem – what am I going to do?"

"I told you. You just face him dead on and let go of all this sadness and anger. It's not a good look for you."

She laughed in spite of herself. "So I've been told."

"Besides, if you don't find him first, he'll find you. I promise you that." His brown eyes twinkled down at hers.

"You think so?"

"Are you kidding me? A knockout like you only has to glance at a man and they'll succumb. Sasuke may be cold and all things evil but he isn't blind."

She blushed, stammered, and then gasped as he mentioned the name she had been avoiding. "How'd you know?"

He laughed albeit a little ruefully. "I'm not blind either."

Annoyed at his observation skills, she hurriedly turned her face to the side to hide her mismatched eyes. If he was as keen as he just revealed himself to be, he would have noticed her slowly darkening green eye.

Genma smiled; though she had a feeling he had noticed the change after all. "You know, I have been rather rude to him because he abandoned us. Does that make me a terrible person?" She questioned, her face thoughtful.

"No," He whispered as his fingers tucked a fluttering piece of hair behind her ear. "It makes you human."

* * *

Dashing up the sidewalk and towards her apartment building, she took notice that the air seemed somewhat different. She brushed it off as one of her many symptoms of paranoia. The walkway was well lit by ground lamps, the sky overhead a navy blue color.

It was a surprise however when she had no need to use her key; her door was unlocked. So it wasn't all in her head, someone had actually broken in. She crept silently into the house, closing the door softly behind her.

For an added measure of safety, she picked up the small vase on the end table by the door and tiptoed into the living room. Of course she didn't need the object to protect herself, but what good would it do to waste her chakra on some measly thief?

"_You're welcome_."

The vase slipped deftly from her lax fingers as she pivoted on her feet to face the voice. It crashed into hundreds of tiny facets on the hardwood flooring of the entry way into her living room.

She was surprised, to say the least, when she caught sight of Sasuke leaning against her door, his hands just barely in his pockets. If she squinted hard enough, there were signs of insomnia etched into his features. Genma was right after all. She had not been fast enough in her pursuit to seek him out; so he had took the initiative to find her first.

How thoughtful of him.

* * *

_TBC_

* * *

A/N: Sakura really is big on sarcasm for some reason.

Surmise


	6. Trained

_Chapter Six_

_Trained_

* * *

When it came down to a game of who-can-find-you-first as Genma had predicted, she figured she would be the one to seek out her brooding ex-teammate. But in a very solid contradiction to her thoughts – there he was.

"Wait – what are you doing here!?" And then she thought about the reason she had been tiptoeing around her apartment in the first place. "You broke in my home!"

Sasuke seemed to be quietly waiting for something. He had not moved from his position against her wall, his face very blank. It was quite possible that he was simply waiting out her furious outburst.

"Well?" she asked while stomping her foot down impatiently. The wrecked pieces of her vase rattled.

He surveyed her irritated face until his own started to mirror hers. "Are you done?" his voice had a slither of anger. Taken aback, she nodded.

"In answer to that first question, I came to talk to you." He rolled his eyes when she mumbled something under her breath. "And I wouldn't have had to break in – though I would hardly call twisting that weak handle _breaking in_- if you had been here in the first place."

"Exactly, how long have you been here?"

He considered her cautious face for a moment, "Two hours."

Well she knew exactly where _she_ had been in the last two hours. But she couldn't exactly say that she was hanging out at some children's playground either. She could, she supposed, but it would definitely bring down her level of maturity a few notches in his eyes. "Why didn't you just go? I'm sure you would have found the answer you were looking for elsewhere."

"Does it even matter how long I was here?" He snapped. Was it her or was he suddenly very irritable? "The point is we're both here _now_. And we need to talk."

Seeing no escape from her current predicament, she collapsed onto one of the cushions on her sofa.

"Grouch."

He watched her with calculating eyes as if there was something off about her. Realizing that his stare was in fact centered on her irises, she turned slightly to angle her face away. But not before seeing his disbelieving look.

"Well a lack of sleep does that to you. But you would know, wouldn't you?"

_Yes._

"No, I've been sleeping just fine, thanks. And if I were," She coughed nervously. "Hypothetically speaking of course, having sleeping problems…err…how would you know?"

His face went from irritated to incredulous in a millisecond. And then, as if in answer to her question, he gave her a pointed onceover. With an arch of a black eyebrow, he said, "You're joking?" At her offended face, he scoffed.

"Haven't had a chance to look in a mirror, have you? You look like hell, Sakura."

She wanted to scream at him. No matter how hard she tried to will it away, her reflection was growing to resemble some terminally ill patient with each passing day. Just because she avoided the mirror didn't mean she didn't see herself.

Annoyed and more stung than she would have liked to admit, she determinedly folded her hands within the confines of her lap. "Just go."

"I'd love to, trust me. But I need to say something to you first."

"You keep saying how we need to talk. So let's talk."

He stepped forward from the darkened perimeter of her hallway and into the light of her living room. For the first time, she was able to fully distinguish the faint edgings of violet-black rings under his eyes and the paleness of his skin. To her, he looked worse than her own reflection.

"Nightmares," he whispered. "You remember people you've never actually met? Emotions that feel wrong inside your body?"

Just a little scared, Sakura unconsciously pressed her body backwards, into the cushion. It groaned quietly against her weight. His words painted a vivid picture in the air. Her life. Or what it had been reduced to in the last couple of days.

His face – hauntingly fluid in its stillness – was staring off at something that she couldn't see. "All mine," he breathed. "Every thought. Mine," he whispered again. "I was controlling it, before you woke up that is. I couldn't afford…rather you couldn't afford – to see all of that while you were in a coma. It might have made it all the more difficult for you to wake up."

She was utterly transfixed by his words. The answers that she had been craving were spilling out so fast that she found herself almost incapable of keeping up.

"But when you awoke…it was hard for me. I don't know why. Every day was a constant struggle to keep down emotions that I wouldn't normally mind feeling. Except that it isn't just my life now." His head turned very quietly to look at her.

She gasped. A great portion of his left eye was pale green – exactly the same shade as hers.

He continued on as if her shocked expression meant very little. "Didn't you ever wonder why you were so angry? So confused? You wanted to be alone, didn't you? Every face that used to be so friendly suddenly became weary…didn't it? People found it hard to be around you. You were aloof and cold. That was me.

"I didn't even think that it would do this. And then when you were asleep for so long… I was sure I had trapped you in some permanent hell. I wondered if maybe I had been right in saving your life. I contemplated many times if I should pull the plug on you. I didn't know if you were suffering or not. So I decided to wait a year. And then you woke up. The day before I was going to pull the plug on you…

"I needed to see you so I could make sure I hadn't driven you into madness. I knew that I was affecting you when you started to remind me of myself. The medication I was taking wasn't working anymore and for that _I_ am sorry. Tell me this, Sakura."

The look he sent her quite literally turned her insides from a solid to a liquid. "Can you see why I did what I did? Can you understand the path I chose, however wrong or twisted was, and the ties that I broke to get there? Can you – after seeing that- understand just a fragment of my pain?"

His words almost brought her to tears. They brought to life the images that she had been forcing her mind to forget, something that was impossible. She could understand his motivations, every single one of them.

"Yes, but I won't say that you were right."

He smiled – the kind that was every bit as bitter as a frown. "I wasn't, if that's what you wanted to hear. I wasn't right! I was _wrong_."

She understood completely what he was saying. He had killed the wrong man. He had betrayed his village; left his friends, threw away his morals, and abandoned every sweet memory he might have had. She had seen that and she had felt his agony when he realized the truth.

Unable to sit and listen any longer she rose to her feet, taking hesitant steps towards him.

"_Don't_," He warned her. "Don't tell me you know how I feel. I _know_ that you know how I feel. And yes, it gives me some hope. It lessens my pain. But it will never be enough."

She flinched involuntarily at the harshness in his voice.

"I came here to tell you that you can control it. If you practice enough, your emotions should be fine. You won't ever have to worry about feeling or seeing anything that comes from my head ever again, I promise you. Your eye color is just a physical manifestation of my persona, it happens. It means nothing and it should fade in another days timing. I should tell you that this has gone horribly wrong before. Shinobi have tried this and failed. Eventually they were either driven into madness or they completely assumed the identity of the body they were linked to. "

"Sasuke…"

"Yeah?" It was a tired response, as if he were fed up with talking.

_I want you to know that you are not alone._ Oh, she could say that. And he would never talk to her again. "Before…you said I could control it, right?"

He stared at her. "You can."

"Will you help me? I don't even know where to start and I don't want to subject you to my thoughts and memories. I know that you can't stand me already…" She glanced down; her terror at his rejection already setting in.

"Southern glade, midnight tomorrow," he murmured.

Shell shocked, Sakura watched his retreating back. "Hey!" She called out to him. He stopped just outside of her door, his hand already closing it. He pulled it back slightly to watch her face. "What is it?"

Nervously, she wrung her hands. "Sleep well." Kami, she knew she sounded pathetic. Her gut was just nagging at her, telling her to say something.

He smirked – the action truly Sasuke-esque. "Only if you can."

* * *

It was snowing delicately when she found herself at the mouth of the southern glade. It sat just in the heart of one of the forests near the southern part of the village. Looking up, it was a beautiful contrast to see the white specks billowing from a black sky.

Sakura snapped out of her momentary stupor and trudged inside the meadow. He was waiting for her like she knew he would be. When she stepped in front of him, he silenced her with one look. "Sit," the Uchiha instructed.

"Yes ma'am," she joked. To her intense pleasure and surprise he did not rebuke her attempt at humor.

She did as she was told. They sat facing one another directly. "Now," he started. "Take your clothes off."

…

…

…

"What!?" The pink-haired woman managed to squeak. She was sure her face was purple. Red from embarrassment and blue from a lack of oxygen which was caused by the former.

He was already undressing while she continued to sputter for air. She swore she saw his eye twitch in irritation. "Your coat and sweatshirt, genius," he clarified dryly.

He was however shirtless, his dark coat and sweater lying in the snow beside them.

Trying to look at anything beside his body, she fixed her vision on her fingers. "Ah, right." Hurriedly she unbuttoned her heavy coat, and pulled her sweatshirt over her head. That left her in only her pants and blouse while Sasuke was adorned only in casual pants, a fact that she had been trying to avoid.

Sakura shivered when a blast of cold air hit her bare arms.

"Why are we doing this again?"

He rolled his eyes. "To improve your concentration. If you are trying to maintain a proper amount of privacy – which I would prefer- then you are going to need to know how to control your emotions and state of mind. The coldness is a constant distraction and you need to know how to overcome it."

She sneezed. "But it's….f-freezing."

He snorted. "Obviously. Now, close your eyes, like that."

Her sight of the world was cut off as he commanded which left her oddly vulnerable. "Now follow my voice. Sakura," he called. "Hm?"

"Every time I say a particular word, I want you to picture any memory or thought that comes to mind."She nodded.

"Ramen."

_Naruto pushed her threw the papery flaps, his hands urgent. "C'mon, I'm starving here Sakura-chan!" It was not surprising to see Hinata waiting for them with three extra bowls. One for her and two for Naruto. _

_Sakura turned away when they kissed, her stomach sinking. And not just from a loss of appetite. How many times had she pictured going on a date like this? But that was impossible seeing as how those fantasies always included a certain someone that was never available. Now, he never would be._

"Gold."

_A long finger tugged at a small section of skin, properly exposing the inner workings of a gold eye. It flashed once in the fading light of the evening sun, and rooted her to the ground. Everything she knew that was logical flew up into the air. Nothing made sense. Nothing mattered. She and Sasuke were going to die in the Forest of Death without ever getting to say goodbye. And that was that._

"Retrieve."

"_Sakura," said the voice. The voice that haunted her every action and was behind her every motive. It drifted and echoed long after her name had been spoken. A sinister symphony to her ears. Everything became much slower. Her head felt as if it weighed a ton. She meant to turn towards the beautiful voice but her reflexes were too off. Too much adrenaline a voice in her head whispered._

"_S-sasuke-k-kun," she breathed. His body came into view, every glorified piece of it, and almost blinded her. Love and triumph overwhelmed her heart, humming through every nerve her body ever had. That was until she saw his eyes. Dead and vacant, they stared uncaringly through her. A blinding rage overtook her then._

"Open your eyes."

She did and the memory flew back into the recesses of her brain. It took her a moment to realize she was sweating even though it was still snowing. "How did I…do?" She panted as she tried to calm her racing heart.

"I only caught flashes of each memory. So I guess it was _alright_."

"That's it?"

"You need more practice."

Finally letting her eyes rest on his face, she noted that his expression was odd. "How can I get better?" She demanded.

"Through repetition. I know that you never were able to control those emotions of yours," If she didn't know any better it felt as if he were alluding to her temper. "But you should be able to simply remember things without pushing your body into an overly emotional state."

"We can't all be icicles."

Ignoring her jibe, he simply arched an eyebrow. "Now close your eyes and breathe. This will help keep your heart rate in check in the future."

She did as she was instructed once again and inhaled faintly. "No, deeper." Sasuke said.

Taking extra care to take in a ridiculously large amount of air the next turn, she held it for a minute and then released it. They breathed for several minutes until her curiosity got the better of her.

As soon as she cracked an eye open, he scolded her. "Close it."

"How'd you know I was doing that? You had your eyes closed!"

He scoffed and went back to breathing. "I mean it, Sakura." After several turns, she made sure to keep her heart completely in tune with his before sneaking closer to him.

She made a funny face in front of his, not that he could see her. His sculpted chest – a product of hard training – rose and fell with each breath. He blinked.

"Gah!" A hand flew to her heart, as she fell backwards into the snow. She had not been expecting _that_. She stared upwards at the black sky before Sasuke blocked her vision. His mouth was set in a line of disapproval as he extended a hand to help her up.

"What happened to keeping your eyes closed?"

"Sorry."

"Hn, suppose it can't be helped with someone like you."

She rounded on him. "And what exactly does that even mean?"

His black eyes peered at her doubtfully. "That you have the attention span of Naruto."

* * *

Whether it intentionally crept up on her, she didn't know, but Christmas was somehow only twenty-four hours away. Granted, she recently found her thoughts to be elsewhere. She hadn't spoken to Sasuke in days, a fact that kept nagging at her brain. Last time she had checked he was out on border duty.

She envied the fact that he had left just in time to avoid all of the annoying Christmas parties – something that he had most likely planned from the get-go. Tsunade was throwing a Christmas Eve bash at some private venue that could probably house all of Fire Country.

Honestly, she really did not plan on attending but the prospect of spending Christmas alone when she had spent the last one asleep left her with a sick feeling.

She couldn't exactly go to her parent's home and drop in because they were vacationing in Suna, at the most inopportune time.

The back of her invitation said to dress up but Sakura just didn't see how that was possible. It was freezing outside and Tsunade wanted her to wear some flimsy gown? Not an option. "Like hell." She muttered as she snatched through her closet for something to wear.

She'd never been one to have an overly extravagant amount of clothes but almost everything in her closet was shiny and new, courtesy of Ino. Finally she pulled out a comfortable pair of jeans and two tops.

Her mind was torn between two blouses, one white, and the other grey. Since it was Christmas after all then she could at least try to be festive; she picked the white blouse. Not surprisingly it still had the tags attached. Once dressed, she picked up her keys, and dashed out into the living room.

With all good intentions, she'd meant to do something refined with her hair but she was running late. Extremely late. A headband seemed nice enough, plus it matched her silvery heels. Turning to grab her overstuffed bag of presents with one arm, Sakura skidded out of her door and into the cold.

* * *

"You made it!" Someone exclaimed when she reached the large double doors of the rented venue. She nodded, her head somewhat hidden behind her makeshift mountain of gifts. The cherry-haired woman was pulled inside roughly and then escorted down the hall where everyone was partying.

Tsunade did not disappoint. There was a Christmas tree that was ten times her height, the shuriken on the tip poking the ceiling ever so slightly. There were tables and couches littered everywhere and a crowded dance floor to boot. Sakura noted wryly that there was in fact a bar situated in the back, which was currently being run by Rock Lee, of all people.

"Sakura-chyaaan!," Naruto chanted from behind her. He was dressed in a neutral tux with an orange bow tie shining brightly around his neck. Aside from the odd choice in color, he looked well put together.

"Hey." She greeted with a wave of her free hand. "Any idea where I can set these down? My feet are killing me." Naruto simply shrugged before relieving her of the extra weight.

"Damn Sakura, what'd ya put in here? The bastard's body I'm hoping. Right?" He joked. She shook her head in mock disbelief. "No, those are all of the gifts I bought last week. If you play your cards right there might even be one for you in there." The overly exuberant ninja took off towards the huge Christmas tree, where he would no doubt drop her bag.

Limber from the loss of the extra weight, she wondered towards the back windows where several people were already chatting. On her way there, she swore she saw Gai dressed as Santa Claus.

"Hey girlie! Want something to drink?" Ino greeted as she sloshed around a fruity cocktail. Sakura shook her head, amused with all of the dancing couples. "No? Live. Love. And drink! I thought I told you that, Sakura."

"Um I am to the first. And the second condition is looking pretty much impossible. And I told you I don't drink." And then at her best friend's withering expression, she added, "Okay, one glass. That's it."

The beauty handed her something that looked like eggnog but smelled heavily of alcohol. She sniffed it twice before taking a sip. From what her tongue could decipher through tasting, it was lightly spiked. "It's not bad, Ino."

Her friend laughed her trademark giggle. "Told you. Plus, Lee made it for you and you might want to tell him how much you like it before he goes out in that mess," She jabbed a thumb out towards the snowy storm which was visible through the huge glass window in front of them. "And runs thirty laps."

She sighed before wandering off towards one of the side couches. She sat there for a moment in contemplative silence. _What am I doing here?_

Really-truly-honestly – she had no clue. Not that the party wasn't enjoyable, it was quite fun actually. But it felt much too….ceremonial for her tastes. She would have preferred a nice get together at someone's house. Maybe she should leave.

It wouldn't be that tough of a challenge to sneak out, maybe through the dance floor, and slip unnoticed into the cold streets. But alas, Tsunade would somehow kill her the next morning for not staying. She almost left until she saw a familiar face look her way.

Genma, hair slicked back with a dark tux on, excused himself from his conversation with Raidou and sauntered her way. It was amazing how unbelievably happy he could seem all the time. At the sight of the object lodged between his teeth, she choked on her drink.

He neared her with a smile on his face. "What? You don't approve?" Gone was his regular senbon and in its place was a white and red striped candy cane.

"No," she laughed. "I just didn't expect that, is all. I have to say, it completes your look, Genma." He smirked, leaning a little closer to her. His breath smelled of mint and chocolate – a nice smelling mixture. "Well at least I dressed according to the occasion. What's your excuse, _Sakura_?"

Her face grew warm as her seemingly practical choice in attire made her feel self conscious. Looking back, could squeezing into a dress really have been much of a hassle? "In my defense, it was or is cold outside. And I was running late after all. I know I do not exactly exude sex appeal in this get up but whatever."

He chuckled loudly at her choice in words. "No, no you look gorgeous," he assured her good-naturedly. "If you're worried about sex appeal, I'd say you beat out every woman here in terms of sexiness."

"Thanks…I guess. That was perverted, you know."

He winked. "Anytime and I know, trust me."

"So, what do you want for Christmas?" He asked casually.

She wasn't listening, however. Her vision was focused on the entry way which was currently being occupied by a slim figure. Sasuke stood impassively in the doorway, his neck craned ever so slightly in the opposite direction. He looked uncomfortable standing there, probably feeling just as awkward as she was. He seemed to be searching for something. She noticed with surprise that he was still clad in his jounin uniform. He must have returned and come straight to the festivities.

"Hey, what do you want for Christmas?"He repeated, not noticing her lack of attention.

Finally, the Uchiha's black stare locked with hers. Her insides flooded with warmth.

Oh, she definitely had an inkling or two of what she wanted.

* * *

_TBC_

* * *

A/N: So I didn't take too long to update. Like many reviewers have said, I am sensing a Sasuke/Sakura/Genma love triangle, possibly. Well, maybe. I don't think so. If I do, it won't be anything big. Maybe just to irk dear Sasuke's nerves. Ha. I'd have fun writing that. Also, I would like to say kudos to _Lasrber_ for guessing what Sasuke did to save Sakura. (Even before I wrote in the obvious hints)Very clever. But so many of you guessed close too. I would like to ask that if you read, please do leave a comment, it's very helpful not to mention- pleasing. Next update should be quick.

P.S: Sakura had a dream before the "Itachi massacre" one four chapters ago. Can you find it?

Surmise


	7. Conflicted

_Chapter Seven_

_Conflicted_

_

* * *

  
_

And apparently, she thought as a group of admiring women flocked to the object of her view, what she wanted did not matter. She was entirely kidding herself, childishly so. There were no rational reasons for her feelings even if she thought he was pretty.

Admittedly, he was _very_ pretty. And at least a dozen women or so had noticed as well. With a sour purse of her lips, Sakura turned back towards Genma. He seemed to be oblivious to her sudden bitterness when he continued chatting. "Oi," He said as his eyes focused on something past her. "Isn't that Sasuke?"

Shaken from her momentary sulking, she blinked and then blushed mildly. "Wha- no it's not."

The brunet gave her an incredulous look and then stared back behind her. "Yeah that is. Aren't you two friends? He's getting drowned in estrogen and you're not going to bail him out?"

"That's the idea."

He raised an eyebrow, amused. "Trouble in paradise?"

She snorted and then in a show of utter indifference, she turned her back towards the throng of women. "You act as if we're a couple," she said in a strained lack of concern.

"That's the idea," he drawled. "Or at least that's what most people think." If possible, his eyes shined with even more hilarity when she sputtered on her drink. He thumped her back for support. Once she was able to efficiently speak again, she rounded on him. "And what do _you_ think!?"

At once, his hands flew into the air, with his palms upturned into a defensive position. "I didn't think anything! And can you please," he stressed as his eyes widened at her clenched fists. "Calm down? I think you're about to shatter that fine china if you don't."

"Liar!" She accused. "And I am calm!" Her screech had several people glancing at them curiously.

He ran a hand through his smoothed back locks. "What an oxymoron…"

It felt as if she were losing her normally collected mind. Not only was Genma irritating her with his uncanny ability to state the obvious, but someone was burning tiny spheres of fire into her back. And she really did not care to find out whom or what was doing the rude staring. It took but a matter of seconds to pivot on her feet and make her way through the crowd. She was vaguely aware of the sound of pursuing footsteps.

The pink haired kunoichi was outside in minutes, her body realizing that fact before her mind. The sensation of frosted air against her heated skin felt unbelievably alleviating. That was before she heard her name being called in two very different tones.

"_Wait, that was extremely stupid of me! Come back! Sakura_!"

"_Sakura_."

She turned – her body reacting instinctively towards the call of her given name. The action seemed to be happening too slow; her senses were unusually sharp. It all happened with surprising clarity.

In one instant she could see where the large double doors of the venue had burst open and where Genma stood anxiously. And then, seemingly at the same time, she could also see where Sasuke had exited the building from the side door and where he stood, somewhat piqued.

They too seemed to take notice of each other at the same exact moment. Sakura, stunned by the sudden situation remained unaware of the impulsive spark of aggression emanating from the men. Genma glanced back at Sakura, his face the epitome of remorse whereas; the Uchiha remained staring coldly at the older male.

"I didn't mean it. Please just come back inside, you'll freeze out here." Genma finally said. His brown eyes darted around her steadily freezing form, worriedly.

"Why should I?" She shot from across the road.

"Because you can enjoy the party with me," He tried to flirtingly coax her. "I get that I was wrong. Sorry. Really I am. You don't date Sasuke."

She couldn't help that her mouth slackened and eventually hung wide open at his words. Automatically Sasuke glanced away from his cold staring to look at her with an odd expression.

Oh God. There went any form of subtle discretion. Now he would think that he was the root of the problem happening between her and Genma, which he kind of was.

"What?" The dark-haired male hissed through clenched teeth. Either he didn't like the prospect of them dating or he was just bewildered. At best, he was a combination of the two. As if just noticing his presence, Genma turned to address him.

"She doesn't date you. As in she's single. Available." Was it her or had the normally cheerful senbon nin suddenly turned very brusque?

"Genma…"

He ignored her. "No I want him to hear this too. I mean it does involve the two of you, quite frankly. Now, Sasuke are you dating Sakura?"

Instead of turning to look at Genma, his eyes trained dead on hers. "What business is it of yours?"

"Because I intend to," The older male replied just as flatly. His brown eyes flashed chillingly at the Uchiha. "Do you plan to date her?"

Fed up, Sakura crossed the icy street. "Enough Genma."

But the brunet shifted his body towards the equally dark-haired male across from him. "Better yet – do you have feelings for her?"

Nothing could have prepared her for his question. Involuntarily, she sucked in a sharp breath and held it. She was positive he could feel the tension and maybe even a little hope that zinged through her body.

Without breaking even the slightest sweat or hesitating in the least, he answered, "No."

At once, her back erected and she released the breath that she had been holding. She marched determinedly back up the steps and stopped once she reached Genma's side. In a manner that he most likely meant to comfort her, he placed his arm on the small of her back to lead her inside.

"Wait do you need something?" She asked Sasuke, somewhat scathingly. He had called her name after all. It appeared that he was holding some object behind his back, blocking it from her vision.

She noticed that his onyx eyes went from her face to Genma's and then to the arm that was touching her lower back. "Nothing," he whispered. With one swift motion he had shoved the tiny object, whatever it was, back into the recesses of one of his pockets and stalked off down the road.

* * *

It was silly, really it was, but Sakura had a feeling that she was being snubbed. As in the "cold shoulder". Sasuke missed their latest training session and he did not answer his phone or door. She could definitely understand the last two. He was not a people person. She could dig that. But it was a little odd that he blew off their scheduled meeting seeing as he would usually beat her there in record time.

Not only had he forgotten about their session, but he had seemingly dropped off of the radar as well. Kakashi and Naruto had no clue as to where he might be lurking. Even Tsunade, seemingly omniscient, did not know his whereabouts.

Was it possible that he was simply on the outskirts of the village? Perhaps he needed to stretch his legs. The perimeters of the village could become quite limited at times.

Choosing not to dwell on him and his possible locations, she continued her spar with the Hokage. Damn. After about twenty minutes of just trying to dodge the beautiful woman, she was **exhausted**. On the brighter side, the condition of her body was steadily improving.

Tsunade seemed to take notice. "Very good, Sakura. You've been just able to keep your head above the water. Wonder how long you can stay afloat?" As if to test her theory, she flickered into Sakura's vision and aimed another high kick.

It connected, the motion sending her flying into the bark of a tree. She regained balance in seconds, her jaw aching from where she had just been attacked.

"Go home," The blond said knowingly.

"What? I can do better Shishou. Next time -"

"You're distracted. And you can't fight. Go home, Sakura." The hint of a warning was making itself known on the edges of her voice.

"Fine." She was a smart girl, and that entailed knowing when to back down.

It was just at the climax of the evening when she found herself taking a minor detour home. It was somewhat depressing to realize that she was spending Christmas without any company. Not that she hadn't been invited to any get-togethers. She'd turn them all down at the prospect of being a third-wheel.

Nothing ruined a good party like awkwardness. Judging by her current circumstance, she had plenty of that to go around.

The prior evening had been exceptionally puzzling and even a bit disappointing. It had seemed like (maybe she was just being senselessly paranoid again) that Sasuke had been furious at something or another. Maybe he was only at angry at her. Whatever the reason for his mood – it definitely killed hers. Literally.

She wasn't horribly pleased to admit that she had left Genma standing on the stairs after the Uchiha had fled. The part of her brain that kept nagging at her, telling her that something suspicious had been going on, flared up. "Oh!" The words flew of their own accord from her mouth at her sudden epiphany.

That feeling she got last night, even though she hadn't been in the best of moods, was altogether misplaced. And the answer had been there all along. Of course he had made her like that! In his fit of foulness – he had projected his emotions on to her and had made her just as miserable!

Or maybe, at seeing his crestfallen face, it had made her a bit sad as well.

She was a compassionate creature by nature, having honed and displayed her skills at the hospital with her patients. So it was plausible to assume that her mood was just a reflection of her concern and not some product of an unexplainable-deep-other-worldly-bond.

Out of boredom, she decided to watch the sunset from one of her most favorite spots – Hokage Mountain. It was a memory – faded and hazy – that brought a poignant burst in her chest. She used to watch the sun fall from the sky, or what she perceived it to be doing at the time, with her parents when she was young. And then with Team Seven. Wiping her moist eyes with the back of her hand, Sakura let her feet dangle on the carved hair of Sarutobi. Admittedly, it was a serene sight. All around her –delicate wind whipped at her hair – tossing it everywhere. Below her, there was the bustle of village life and the commotion of the academy kids on the grounds. How strange that they should be in school on Christmas.

If she squinted hard enough, she could make out the sleeping form of Tsunade in her mansion of sorts. She sighed and let her head fall back with the fading sun warming her cheeks. Of course, the few moments she had to herself were always interrupted, which was about to happen; the faint footfall behind her was proof enough.

When the space next to her was filled, she almost choked on her own breath.

"Naturally _you_ would be here," Sasuke began as if she was not sitting there – next to him. "I was going to turn around and leave but what would be the point? I'm just going to run into you again at some moment…"

She disregarded him, concentrating instead on the color of her nails.

"…Inevitable…"

Her eyes stung and then watered as she stared without blinking into the multi colored sky. It was swirled in pastels – cerulean, orange, and lavender blending into one unnamable color.

"…Hn…I should really just leave…"

Finally at her wits end, she snapped. "Are you trying to be _annoying_?"

He stared at her, obviously caught off guard. She expected him to lash out at her in retaliation but honestly she did not care if he did. Tired was an understatement when it came to how she felt towards him. She tried, to the best of her abilities. Maybe she was to blame for where they went wrong. And to think, she thought that maybe, after all of their shared history, that they might actually be friends.

He seemed to regain his composure in the next instant but the lashing never came. Instead, he simply smirked before turning to watch the life flurry beneath their feet.

It was her turn to gape, although it was short-lived. "How is your Christmas going so far?"

He spared her a glance. "Fan-fucking-tastic."

Her cheeks instantly colored at his words, sweat dewing on the nape of her neck. It was safe to say that his sudden use of derogatory vocabulary was making her a wee bit anxious. "Uhh..okay…I think I'll go now."

She made to get up, but his sudden words halted her. "You can stay."

_So, you can eventually chew me out? No thank you. _She could take a wild guess and say that her thoughts were clearly painted on her face for he frowned.

"I meant that," He rolled his eyes upwards. "That – ugh – Look I'm sorry, okay?"

The fevered look he was giving her left her really no other options. "Alright. But I still think I should go-"

"Stay," he hissed none too gently. And then his eyes met her bewildered face. "Please." His last word was softer than his previous. In that moment, illuminated by the vanishing sun, he was considerably alluring.

She resumed her seat next to him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pried about Christmas-"

"Don't worry about it."

"And about what Genma said, that was out of line…"

He snorted, the action bringing a sort of human quality to his features. In truth, it was hard to remember he was even of her same species, with such a flawless face. "So I take it you two had a nice night," despite his earlier plea for her to stay, she detected a hint of malice in his voice.

"I suppose. I mean I left right after you. I'm a rotten person for leaving him like that…"

The Uchiha shook his head lightly. "Actually, that's the smartest thing you could have done. He's no good for you."

A pink eyebrow raised in surprise. "And who are you to judge who's right for me? I'll have you know that he's a good man."

Sasuke scoffed. "Yeah if you like someone three times your age. Maybe you do like older men, as stupid as that is, pick someone else."

"Why?"

"I don't trust him," he said simply.

"And who are you again?"

He opened his mouth to shoot some snide remark back at her, when unexpectedly, he closed it. The brooding aura which had all but vanished was crowding them both like a throng of mad men.

Sensing or more like feeling his change in mood; she decided to put some of her training to use. As she expected, his emotionless face broke into a wide grin. He swore and then glared furiously at her. "What the hell was that?"

"I was projecting my emotions onto you."

"You've been practicing." He commented. It _sounded_ like a compliment but she couldn't be sure.

"Sure have," she grinned proudly.

"At least you've done something right."

She frowned. "And what does that mean?"

It was apparent that they could not go for more than five minutes of cordialness without arguing about something. When she was twelve, she wouldn't have ever spoken a word against him. But that was eight years ago.

"It means that at least you've continued your training. But, you need to find new friends."

"Leave Genma alone."

"Why couldn't you just fall for the dobe?" He hissed.

"Excuse me? He has Hinata."

"Obviously. But it wasn't always that way."

Ah. She remembered all too easily how she had shunned Naruto in his advances. Eventually he moved on and found someone that was actually worthy of his attentions.

It was her turn to laugh derisively. "I don't think he would have wanted damaged goods." Something about her words had him tense again, his face pale. And then she realized how they could have been interpreted.

"He's going to pursue you. You know that right?" He murmured.

"Who, Genma?" He nodded his head in affirmation.

"Yes, I do."

"And you're perfectly fine with that?"

"No, I mean I don't have feelings for him. Wait," Her eyes flashed. "Why am I telling _you_ this!?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. You tell me."

For once, she decided to actually be truthful. "Because I feel like I can tell you anything." She braced herself for the backlash.

He froze, his expression indecipherable. They both stared outwards in silence.

"Sasuke?" She began hesistantly.

"Yeah?"

"A-are we friends?"

He smirked. "Don't be an idiot."

"What does _that_ mean?"

"What do you think?" He muttered, dryly.

She smiled. That was as close to a yes as she could have hoped for. Suddenly, she could feel a weight being lifted from her shoulders. It felt good to be able to identify her exact relationship with him.

"Sakura?"

"Hm?"

"I'm not apologizing for leaving all those years ago. And I have no regrets." She stared, unsure of where he was going with his words. "But…we went wrong somewhere."

"Yeah we did," she agreed in a whisper.

Above them, the last remnants of sunlight vanished across the horizon, leaving the sky a navy color. It drained the color from everything, bleaching even her vibrant hair white. The darkness cocooned them in something akin to a cool blanket but offered no comfort from the silence.

* * *

TBC

* * *

A/N: Wow. It's been almost two weeks since my last update. And a big apology to all those who looked for the other dream Sakura had. I went back and corrected the error. I meant to say that it was four chapters ago instead of two. Sorry. But for all those valiant efforts, the dream was in chapter two where Sakura describes her and Sasuke in a risqué position towards the end (If you blink you'll miss it). And I do believe that Sasuke was rather naughty for that. And to the fans of _Conceiving With You_: this story will be my first priority but I will update that one when I'm not working on this one. Review and many thanks! Ciao.

Surmise


	8. Breathed

_Chapter Eight_

_Breathed_

* * *

A few rosette strands fluttered openly into her eyes, blocking her view of him. She was glad for the change; she even welcomed it. His face had been impassive. And she hated it when he pushed a concrete wall down on himself, blocking her any entry into his feelings.

"You're worth it," he muttered. She felt like jumping from her skin when he spoke. It had been so long since one of them had even uttered a single sentence, that the action seemed almost unfamiliar.

"I feel it. Every single minute of every day I can feel your doubt. Out of all of your emotions, that one is the strongest. It eats you alive; even making you feel weak. I saved you and there is nothing to regret. So stop feeling and thinking such pointless things."

"I can't help it," she said, just as quietly. "When you look at me…I feel this regret." She clutched at her heart for emphasis. "Your emotions don't lie, Sasuke."

He spared her a glance when he answered, "But _you_ do." At her affronted face he scoffed. "You have tried to shove all of your emotions into one huge mess so you can deny to yourself what you really feel. You love me."

Sakura was speechless. Inside her chest, her heart was thundering against it, threatening to go into overload. Literally, she felt sick. He rose to his feet and reached inside his left pocket. He tossed her something small; it was in a box and quite plain to the eye.

She was still facing the opaque moon above them, not seeing it at all, when he spoke. "Inside there you'll find the reversal to the jutsu." She knew which jutsu. _Their_ jutsu.

"I thought it wasn't reversible, but it is. Don't worry," He added at her panic stricken face. "You won't die. It will be painful though. Keep your emotions," And she knew which one he was referring to. "I don't want them."

* * *

Sasuke, tired from carrying most of his possessions, leaned against the archway of his former childhood home. All of his hard work had paid off; he had restored it to its former authentic beauty. Selling his townhouse had presented him with very little of a challenge; a couple had already offered to buy it.

He was freezing, the rain from above drenching his clothes until the dark blue resembled black. Yet his mind kept wondering back to where it always seemed to stray. Sakura.

It was impossible not to go a single day without thinking about the girl. Her emotions were constantly in flux. They went from happiness to fury in the milestone of a second. He was to blame for that, he supposed.

He'd be damned if he had to feel another minute of her hesitant, affection. It was always there, clouded beneath a multitude of other feelings. And yet, miles from where she was, he could feel it. It was pulsing through him like a second heartbeat.

So she hadn't used the reversal jutsu yet. What the hell was taking her so long?

"I thought I would find you here."

Sasuke turned disinterested eyes onto the approaching figure. Soaked from the morning rain, Genma stopped just short of the front porch. His normally happy face was twisted slightly into a frown. "And here I am. So what do you want?"

"Moving back in, eh?" The brown haired shinobi glanced around the manor with appraising eyes before turning back towards the Uchiha.

"What – do – you – want?" Sasuke repeated, his breathing coming just a bit sharper. It was overly safe to say that he was annoyed. But then again, it didn't take much to irk him. Genma shuddered when a few raindrops fell into his eyes, and then blinked twice. "Well I came to talk to you."

Sasuke turned around from the porch and set one of his boxes down. "That much was noticeable."

"Hm, you are a ray of sunshine aren't you? Tsunade-sama warned me about that temper of yours though I think now that her description doesn't do you any justice. But I don't want to hold you up so," His bright eyes turned suddenly cheerless. "…I'll get to the point. What do you intend to do?"

Sasuke's eyebrows rose, urging him to elaborate. Genma laughed quietly, shaking his head to himself. "As if you don't know. Sakura."

It was almost comical how, at the mention of his rosette haired ex-teammate, his dark eyes flashed to life and narrowed simultaneously. "What about her?" He scowled.

"I'll be frank. I like her and she…" He paused. "…is willing to move on. Hell, before you came back, she was Konoha's most eligible sweetheart. And then poof, she wakes up and you're there. And now she's too focused on leaving you alone that she is becoming more and more like _you_." He smirked when the Uchiha's obsidian eyes closed briefly.

"She's secluding herself and is now a bit socially awkward. So either make a move or get out of the way. I don't despise you for coming back. You saved her life and she feels drawn to you. I get that."

Sasuke crossed his arms wearily. "If you get so much then get the hell off of my property."

"I'm not done."

"Then **get** done."

Genma smiled, absentmindedly pulling the senbon from his mouth. "Well from what I see, you act like you don't like her yet you have a history together. That's undeniable. You saved her life. That too is undeniable." He was now ticking down the facts on his fingers one by one. "You are bonded to her, that is well known, and you even went as far as visiting her when you could when she was in a coma. Does any of this imply anything or am I missing something?"

"Go the _fuck_ away."

"I know, this is terribly upsetting to hear. But I think that you should know that she's perfect. And I don't intend to lose her to someone that doesn't even have his eyes open."

"Aiming a little low on the age bar, aren't you?" He spat. "How about you take your own advice and _leave her the hell alone_," Sasuke hissed and then picked up his things. "You can disappear the same way you got in."

* * *

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ears, out of nervous habit, Sakura stopped just in front of the Hokage's office. Her eyes widened and her knees buckled slightly when the person she least wanted to see came from around the opposite corner.

"Why didn't you do it?" Sasuke hissed.

Sakura bit her lip and pretended she hadn't heard a thing. _Ignore him and he'll disappear. Ignore him and he'll disappear. _She chanted inwardly to herself. "Well?" He asked.

"I'm not ready." She whispered truthfully. They had to talk in low voices, Tsunade was having a meeting.

The raven haired boy snorted disdainfully. "This isn't a wedding, Sakura. There's nothing to prepare for, you don't just get cold feet! I'll do it if you don't."

"Like hell you will," she whispered harshly.

"I will-" He started to say but was cut off by the husky bark from within the office. "I can hear you!" Tsunade growled behind the doors. "Now get in here."

Glaring at each other, they both sat in opposite chairs once inside the study. Tsunade glanced between the two of them and rolled her eyes. "Uchiha," she chided. "Be the bigger person."

Sakura started to complain but stopped when the blonde fixed her with an even look. "And I expected more out of you." The pink haired girl glanced down at her interlaced fingers. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Tsunade waved it off. "Just don't let it happen again. Now, I have the results from your tests with Dr. Akemi and he said you should look at them. I reviewed them earlier and I must say it doesn't please me. Oh, please, Uchiha get over yourself." She was referring to the dark looking he was shooting at her.

She slid the manila folder across the desk towards them. Sasuke, being the faster out of the two, snatched it up before she could even glimpse the specifics. "What does it say?" Sakura asked.

"This Akemi guy seems to think that the more time we're in contact, the stronger the seal becomes, is that true?" He asked Tsunade.

She nodded, grim.

"And that the reversal won't be effective the longer we wait?"

She nodded, again. "Actually, it _is_ too late." She pressed a red painted finger onto the bottom script of the scroll. "It said within a month's timing of the initial jutsu that the seal could be broken. And almost two years have passed. I'm sorry."

Silence commenced before she spoke again. "But I do have a mission for you two. And no complaining. Sakura needs some practice and she needs a guardian. I figured that you would be up for it, Sasuke."

"I am." He answered slowly, still unnerved by the previous news.

"Good."

Sakura jumped to her feet. Okay, she was happy to be actually given a mission outside of delivering stupid sleeping pills but did it have to involve him?

"Not a word," The blonde growled. "Now off with the two of you," She handed them the instructions.

"Tomorrow you need to investigate outside of an inn that has been experiencing loitering troubles. It seems that renegade nin from Rain are taking money as they please and the elderly couple is helpless to fight them off. They should be no match for the two of you. It should only take a couple of hours and then you should be home in time for dinner."

Great, she would be exhausted by the time they returned home. Her lungs were still not used to strenuous activities but she would have to cope, it seemed.

The next morning, they both stood outside of the gates, waiting for the guards to change their shift so that they could leave. Sakura pretended to look in the other direction while she watched Sasuke watch her.

Under his surly gaze, she wilted.

"Quit looking at me like that."

He averted his eyes. "I was thinking that's all. Now let's go."

It was time; the morning had just broken and they had to depart for their task. The sun had just risen behind the clouds leaving them with some sort of light to go by. "Fine," she muttered.

They kicked off into the trees once they were past the gates and kept to the shadows provided by the canopy of green. In an hour's timing, they had reached the perimeter of the specified inn. Once inside, they recorded the elderly couple's recent account of the events and exited the small building.

"So what do you think?" Sakura asked as she leaned against one of the wooden posts. In all actuality, it was a rather generic scenario that she had seen played out a million times over.

"Rogue ninja attack vulnerable couple. Couple tries to appease said ninja. Said ninja come back for more. Couple has nothing else to give. Rogue nin will get fed up and kill everything in sight and move along to the next scarce town," Sasuke replied flatly.

"My thoughts exactly. So what's the plan?"

He closed his black eyes and mulled over his thoughts. "Since that old couple said there are three of them, we can just kill them all. No need in bringing back pointless prisoners. She said their based west of here in a small cave. Let's go because I have better things to do than this."

They flew through the treetops, following the clumsy trail that the idiots left behind. Sasuke snorted at the senselessness of it all when they found the cave after only ten minutes of looking.

"There," Sakura pointed.

Below them, three men were sprawled out on the ground, flipping random coins into the air. It appeared that they had looted from another civilian family. "Did ya hear that?" The chubbiest of the men replied.

"No." The second man had spoken although he looked nothing like the first. He was dressed in usual ninja attire, sporting a Rain Country hitai-ate.

The third man looked exactly like the second man, leading Sakura to believe that they were brothers – possibly twins. He said nothing, going back to read his scroll.

Sakura looked at the group and then turned to Sasuke. "I say we just drop in since there's really no point in wasting time and prolonging our stay."

"Alright," Sasuke agreed. He replaced the hilt of his katana back onto his back since he really wouldn't need to stain it on a bunch of amateurs.

They nodded at each other before dropping from their shared branch. The sound of their footfall alerted the men and at once they had jumped up to defend their stash. Sakura rolled her eyes as the chubby one made a beeline for the left.

At least his comrades stayed to fight, that was definitely more than she could say for him. "Sorry," Sakura said as she dropped in front of him. "But you're not leaving."

The man was momentarily mesmerized by the attractive female that appeared out of seemingly nowhere before he changed course. To Sakura's intense surprise, he _could _run faster than his appearance let on.

Not as fast as she would have liked, she caught up to him, her fingers grazing just the tip of his neck. He fell to the ground helplessly, his body twitching. "Your nervous system is no longer under your control," she explained slowly. "Don't resist, you'll make death that much longer away. But don't worry it will be painless."

Her greens eyes watched as he struggled and then came to a stop. It appeared that the poison in her fingertips had slipped through his pores, as planned, and had finally reached his heart.

She turned away once she was sure that he was dead only to find that Sasuke was in the middle of finishing off the last man. The Rain Country nin was on the ground, Sasuke's foot just above his head. Sakura glanced away when she heard the audible crunching sound of the young male's skull.

The last brother lay motionless on the ground next to him – his neck snapped by the looks of it. "You couldn't have done this a little less messy?" Or painful, she wanted to say.

"It was quick," came his quiet response. "I'll burn them and you gather together the couple's things."

She nodded and collected the various coins, bills, and gems from a medium sized stack. Once she was finished, she turned to see that the three men were already roasting under the Uchiha's katon.

* * *

"You guys work well together," Tsunade commented as she surveyed their mission report.

Sasuke said nothing, opting to shove his hands in his pockets. Sakura was just pleased that she had made it through the trip without becoming overly exhausted. It would seem that her body was now ready to take on more challenging assignments.

"Can I go?" The raven haired male asked. He sounded irritable but it was hard to tell if it was genuine or not.

Tsunade glanced up at him. "Where's the fire, Uchiha?"

"I'm tired," was all he said.

"Yeah right," The blonde huffed. "You just want to get out of here before I assign you another task with Sakura."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, his mouth pressing into a firm line. "Oh, you caught me," he drawled sardonically.

The Hokage folded her arms together while looking at them both with amber eyes. She seemed to be mulling over something in her head but kept a perfect poker face that stopped them from guessing her true intentions.

"You can leave," They both turned for the door. "_But_ – I expect to see you both at Kiba's get together tomorrow night. Same bar as last time."

Sakura made a face. "You were there last time? You have got to be kidding me…"

Her mentor laughed. "Yes, as a matter of fact I was. Of course you hadn't seen me because I was-"

"Do I even _want_ to know?"

Tsunade's lips twitched, amused. "Maybe."

"Okay, I'm leaving now and I will see you tomorrow night I guess." The cherry haired female filed through the door.

Sasuke glared at the blonde woman.

"What is it now Uchiha? Go ahead and make yourself scarce."

"What are you playing at?" He asked lowly.

She blinked harmlessly. "Nothing." Knowing that he wouldn't be able to pry any farther, he shot her one last distrustful glare, and stalked out into the hallway.

By the time both of them had made it outside – it was raining lightly.

"Why were you so eager for me to use the reversal?" Sakura blurted out. He looked at her sideways.

"Why are you asking such a meaningless question?"

"Just answer."

"No."

"Why the hell not?" She fumed loudly. "Nothing's stopping you from answering!"

"I said no_, damn it_!" His cool façade had finally broken and his quota of patience had been maxed out. He turned towards her with a swish of his shirt – his katana luminous silver in the moonlight.

"Look, I-I need to know, okay?" She hadn't meant to sound so desperate, really she hadn't.

Sakura did not know what it was or how it happened but it _did_. There was a change in his expression, very minute, but still very real. It cracked through his face as if it were a barrier on the verge of exploding from the force of pushing waters. Nevertheless, she saw it. There had been wistfulness in his eyes, the first emotion he had shown besides anger.

"You…" He took in a shaky breath. "I cannot feel this right now. It's too much. But I guess I will have to deal with it now for the rest of my existence."

"My emotions?" She asked quietly, her words blurred by the light rain.

"Your love," he corrected in a whisper, almost mockingly.

"I don't want to feel this way, you know." Her voice had fallen to right above a whisper. "I want to be free of this. I do! But _you_," She shook her head – violently. "No you are always there! Everything I've ever done is because of you! And I want out. I want it bad. So don't you think for one moment that I'm forcing these feelings onto you! All this time…I have only ever wanted to let you go."

"And yet you keep holding on."

"Because if I do let you go…you will only fall that much harder," she breathed.

"I can't do this!" He suddenly screamed. The Uchiha was almost half-crazed, his eyes wildly searching hers. "You make me feel like…like before. _Before everything happened_."

And she could suddenly see his side of things. It had seemed so long ago that she had dreamed his nightmare in her bed only to wake with heart wrenching sobs. She could feel that intensity of watching her whole world being taken – ripped – and then crushed under the heel of the one you loved most.

"When I'm around you…I feel alive."

She glanced up at him, at his torn expression, and sighed. "Is that really so bad?"

"Yes, because I'm not ready…" Sasuke resumed his walking – in the opposite direction. "…I'm not ready to breathe again."

* * *

A/N: If you squint hard enough, there was some crucial SasuSaku lovin'. And in case any of you guys were wondering, I want to end this around twenty chapters. Maybe twenty-two. And yes, I will try to incorporate more Shika/Ino because their freakin' adorable. But I'm seriously thinking of putting some Neji/Ten in here because I am a huge fan of that couple. Besides the fact that Tenten kicks major ass( when she appears that is) and is really pretty. Oh and I just made a livejournal the other day so I could talk to you guys more and post outtakes and drabbles. Friend me and I'll friend you back if you have an account. Go to my profile for the link. Now I'm off to go to work and then continue writing _Conceiving With You_.

Surmise


	9. Assaulted

_Chapter Nine_

_Assaulted_

* * *

By the time she had remembered that she was supposed to remember something, she had already forgotten it. This exact thought confused Sakura to no end so she just gave up.

Whatever it was, it was probably not as important as covering an emergency shift at the hospital. She'd been working for a little over three hours. Signing documents and prescriptions, assisting in one short surgery, and performing one detoxification, had her almost completely bushed.

In a moment of resting her head had fallen against the new hardwood exterior of her desk and against her greatest intentions, she closed her eyes.

_He did not know why he was here. Of all places, he was here. Inside the tiny room of his ex-teammate, he stood with his back to the wall. His muscles contracted painfully and locked into place. Sasuke supposed he was just rigid from being in someone else's house._

_His eyes drifted from one object to another. From the flimsy curtains that adorned her window, which he had just entered, to the white covering of her bed, her room reflected her choice of profession. It was plain and very clinical like the hospital. A true medic through and through it seemed._

_Finally, he watched her misshapen form that was strangled beneath her covers. Sakura shifted,her breathing light._

_It was a shocking change to watch her sleep unaided by many tubes and a hospital bed. Which brought him back to his first dilemma: Why was he here?_

_The dark haired male became distracted by her next move. She had twisted again. The covers had slid down just a bit, revealing her night clothes. Even though it was freezing outside, she was wearing nothing more than a sleeveless night dress with shorts. _

_A closer look at her skin revealed that it was covered in a sheen of sweat. So she became hot easily. He hadn't known that. But then again – he did not know many things about her._

_She mumbled something unintelligible and became completely still. Unnerved by her stillness, he drifted closer to her bedside. Sakura was simply at peace, her pink hair strewn over the pillows. He could see what attracted the senbon ass to her, and every other male it seemed.  
_

_He could not help but notice that the strap of her gown had slid halfway down her shoulder and that the skin of her right breast was almost fully exposed._

_The Uchiha felt his throat tighten and flashed towards the window. He should definitely leave. He had no business here. He was halfway through the square cut of her window when she did it._

_She flew upwards, her right hand outstretched in the air. He could see that her green eyes were wide with shock and that she was hiccupping and sobbing so violently that she probably wouldn't even notice his presence._

_He felt the emotions - betrayal, longing, hate, and sorrow – tumble off of her in a giant wave of disorder. And then he felt an intense guilt overcome him. He had let his mind wander far off into the past where it had all started in her presence. And now she had seen everything. The blood, the limbs, and the terror._

_So lost in her haze of grief, she did not notice him. She was still sobbing recklessly into herself. He supposed that she was expressing his emotions in her own way because he never cried when thinking about it._

_Sasuke watched as she tripped from the bed and stumbled into the blackness that was her hallway._

There was a loud knock – the sound just what she needed to rip her from another memory in the form of a dream. She gasped and then tried to fix her appearance when she heard Ino's sing-song voice drift angrily into the room.

"Heeey! Tsunade-sama sent me to get you! You're an hour late," the blonde yelled from behind the door.

Shit. That was what her subconscious had been nagging her about. The get together at the bar was tonight and she was still dressed in her medic apron and top. She dashed outside to meet her best friend, trying to forget the memory that felt forced. As if he _wanted_ her to see it.

Upon arriving, Sakura headed straight to the bar, intent on enjoying the night even if she had to be drunk to do so. She was reaching out for her second glass when a faster, more muscular arm got to it first.

Fuming, she swiveled in her seat, pink locks exuding sparks.

"You," she sighed at once. "Give it back."

Genma smiled down at her, innocently taking her glass and passing it back to the bar tender. She protested but he simply took a seat next to her. "As much as I think you'd make a cute drunk, I prefer you sober."

She frowned. "I'm not here to impress you. Actually I'm not here to impress anyone, I'm just here on orders."

"That so?" He wondered. "Well you could have changed at least…" He was looking down at her medic skirt, apron, and blouse.

She blushed and then ordered a _non-alcoholic_ cocktail. Genma instantly chuckled at her embarrassment and leaned closer. "Don't worry, I dig role-play."

And then he laughed again at her affronted expression.

"You know," the rosette woman mused after a momentary silence. "Almost everyone is still in uniform, including you."

"I know, most people came here straight after work. Amazing isn't it? We get almost zero time off. Well, what about you? Anything interesting happen in your life?" And then she related to him her previous mission.

"I bet it was a pleasure working with Sasuke," he drawled sarcastically. She was going to agree when she was pulled up from her chair.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto screamed. She noted with horror that he was covered in blood and something else. He seemed to be talking so fast that he probably didn't understand what he was saying.

All good-naturedness aside, Genma was helping Sakura calm him down. "What happened kid?"

"I told you…Sasuke was attacked and he needs your help _now_!" Naruto growled.

"What!?"

"Shizune is helping to stabilize him and the granny as well but I know that they need you! She told me not to tell you but Sakura-chan I know that you can save him. Only you!"

Genma had a weird expression on his face and Sakura was too stunned to form an expression at all.

* * *

"What do you mean you won't let me operate?"

Her mentor let the door shut behind them quietly as someone closed the blinds on the window. Her expression was grim but even more so, weary.

"Hush," she snapped. "You can't be too loud around here when I just stabilized him."

"But-"

"Nothing," The blonde finished. "I have a team of medics in there that are highly qualified and professional. Let it be some comfort that Shizune is overseeing the second operation."

"Why-"

"Because you are too close to the patient. You know how this goes, Sakura. Only in the case of absolute need are you allowed to work on someone who you have close relations. And we have a hospital full of the most talented doctors."

Helpless, Sakura collapsed onto the bench beside the wall. Tsunade followed her. "Do you at least want to know what happened? Or are you going to bite my head off? I need to know so I can have you removed if you cannot handle it."

"Yes," Sakura answered quietly.

"He was allegedly assaulted by ANBU. Naruto found him on his way to the bar and brought him here. Now, I don't know why in god's name one of my men would do such a thing but I have all operational ANBU under question. They are with Ibiki now."

Sakura was shocked. Why would any ANBU want to attack Sasuke? Had he done something to offend them personally?

"Now," Tsunade started. "What doesn't make sense is that I have one-fourth of my ANBU on rotation in Snow Country for conditioning. The other three-fourths were supposedly at a briefing at the time of Sasuke's attack. And from what Naruto could tell me, Sasuke almost killed them all, but they _fled_."

"How many?" Her voice was hoarse.

"Five."

"Why?" The question was more directed to herself than anything but Tsunade answered none the less.

"I do not know…" And then she jumped to her feet. "It couldn't be…"

By this time Sakura was on her feet as well. "What is it shishou?"

But she ignored her student and continued to pace back and forth. "They vanished a year and a half ago. It simply cannot be. But maybe. Yes, that would make sense. Why hadn't I seen it before?"

"What?"

"Root. The sub section of ANBU that was disbanded years ago and reorganized together by Danzo. After Danzo's murder by Sasuke, they disappeared. You know, I never did find the last remnants of Root."

But Sakura was too distracted by the current circumstances. At any moment, Sasuke's second surgery would begin or it might have already started. She did not even know what kind of surgery was being done! That was another thing that worried her. Why would it take two surgeries? What had they done to him?

"Stabilizing" someone could go two ways, of that she knew. He could pull through and be fine or he could ultimately – and she was now focusing on a less depressing thought.

"Do you know when I'll be able to see him, tomorrow maybe?"

"Honestly, it's too soon to tell. But Uchiha is stubborn so I think that he'll be fine tomorrow. Of course he'll have to stay in here for a week or so. And then he'll need a nurse…"

A young medic pushing a pill cart down the hallway slowed, a little _too_ interested in their conversation. Tsunade paid her no mind, instead making her voice loud enough for everyone on the same floor to hear. "And I have just the one in mind."

Disappointed, the young medic blew a strand of orange hair out of her face and continued down the hall.

"Don't you hate that?" Her mentor asked, momentarily amused.

"When the subject of the matter is Sasuke, you get used to it." They laughed quietly, Sakura still worried.

"I was thinking," Tsunade began. "That you might consider taking care of him for a little while?"

"You don't have to be so careful with your voice, I won't bite," Sakura answered with a clipped tone.

"Sure. But back to my question - yes or no?"

"Fine, as long as I don't have to live in the same house."

"Fair enough."

An hour and thirteen minutes later, the door across from the pair opened and they both silenced at once. Shizune smiled, albeit tiredly, and informed them with a cheery tone that Sasuke would be fine. "The surgery was local but he's still very much tired. He's so stubborn and well…he asked if any of his teammates…er…ex-teammates were here. I did not have the heart to refuse him and he's seems healthy enough so…maybe you'd make an exception Godaime-sama?"

Tsunade glanced at Sakura and then at the door. She groaned. "Five minutes. That's it. And Shizune you can be so terribly persuasive. Note the sarcasm in my voice."

* * *

The sight of him took her breath away, and not because of his apparent beauty. No it was the vulnerability that he exuded. He was awake, but his eyes were focused on the far wall and possibly another time.

Sakura floundered in front of the closed door, unsure of how to approach him. When he did not acknowledge her presence after several minutes, she went to sit in one of the far chairs.

"Tsunade-shishou said that you wanted to see me."

At last, his head turned to look at her face. "I didn't exactly say that. I said one of my teammates. I didn't go into detail if that was what you were wondering."

She stiffened in her seat, prepared to leave. He must have seen this, for his voice grew considerably softer.

"Don't…"He paused, the action almost awkward. "Just sit down, alright?"

Sakura relaxed and he sighed.

"Where are the others?"

"Kakashi is out with Kurenai and Asuma in Tea Country on emissary duties. And I think Naruto went into shock, he's being treated on the first floor."

He nodded to himself, as if confirming some thought.

"Why?" She questioned. "Would you rather them than me?"

"Yes."

She grit her teeth before he eyed her wearily. "It's not for the reasons you think."

"Then why?"

"Because you're…different…just – never mind."

She considered his statement for a moment and chose not to analyze it as she was prone to do. Instead, she settled on a more pressing issue. "How are you feeling?"

"Do you need to ask? I feel like shit."

She laughed, although she couldn't say that it was a proper thing to do at that time, given the situation. "Is that somehow hilarious to you?"

She stopped laughing just enough to answer, "Possibly." She hesitated, and then asked, "Sasuke?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you think they attacked you?"

"I don't know, maybe because I killed the coward of a man who they were blindly following." He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, a broken rib most likely the problem.

"I was going to kill them…all of them. And then they ran. But make no mistake, I will find them and finish what they started." His voice was sinister now, right above a hiss.

"You can't-"

"Why the hell not?"

"Haven't you learned _anything_? Anything at all? I won't let you go out there to hunt someone that wants to kill you, Sasuke! That's insane! Vengeance, retribution, payback – whatever the hell you want to call it, never leads to anything good!"

The Uchiha's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Sakura, those _people_," He seemed to be refraining from saying something else. "Are out there somewhere. Possibly in this village. Do you really think that I would just forget about this? That you can just snap your fingers and wish it all away? For all I know, they could be after you or the dobe. And I won't let you suffer for my actions."

"You know, after this you are going to need a medic to check on you for a couple of weeks."

"I figured as much." And then he seemed to realize the hidden implication. "No," was all he said.

"Why?"

"Anyone but you."

She did not have the sense to be hurt, just extremely pissed off. "Wow. And I thought we were passed this."

He cursed something dark and then growled at her protest. "Look, I said anyone but you because I have my reasons."

"And those would be?"

"Have you NOT heard anything I just said? You could be a target and now you want to play my doctor? Stop being such an idiot and open your eyes!"

"My eyes are open!" She screamed back. For a moment, she thought she heard Tsunade coming down the hall. "Don't you see that I'm just worried about you? I care what happens to you…"

"And I never asked for any of that."

"You didn't have to."

They stared furiously at one another. "It doesn't matter anyways. Shishou has already agreed, even requested, that I will be overseeing your care. Now you don't have to like it-"

"I _don't_ like it," he cut in.

"…but it would be easier if you just accepted that I am a qualified medical kunoichi that can look out for herself." She continued as if he hadn't interrupted.

"I know how strong you are. But this is bigger than just you. Who knows what they plan to do."

"Please don't tell me you are trying to turn this into justice."

"If you want to look at it that way, I won't stop you."

She sighed, and then mentally thought of a solution. She could see none, only her predicament. But she had a little over a week to persuade him otherwise, or if she had to, she would tell Tsunade about his plan.

"You know before this happened," She gestured towards his body and he grunted. "I had this dream…or memory. And I'm trying to get past the fact that it took place in my house, when I was _sleeping_, and ask you this. Did you want me to see that? Because it felt very deliberate, almost forced."

"I did."

"Why?"

He pressed his lips into a straight line and ground his teeth. He was silent for a moment after, as if he were planning out his next words in brooding peace. "Like I said before, I was going to kill them. I was going to rip them apart." At her somewhat horrified expression, his voice became less harsh.

"But in the case that I was killed, however stupid that is, I wanted you to know that…damn it…that you were the last thing on my mind. My final thought."

* * *

To be continued…

* * *

A/N: This update took longer than necessary. It's been on my computer, unedited for quite some time. I've been swamped with work people and I have to keep my grades fairly high. And then the document manager kept rejecting this chapter for TWO days. Needless to say, I was pissed.– sigh – Anyways, I really enjoy this story. Maybe because….- prepare drumroll please -….I finished the ending yesterday! Hell Yeah! But don't worry there should be at least five more chapters until the ending.

And then the ending is around two chapters. And then the epilogue. But that's my draft, so I'm going to try and push it to about twenty-one chapters instead of seventeen which is where I'm at right now. Thank you for such lovely responses. They make my day, guys. Also I haven't posted on livejournal yet, but I should soon, so I encourage you to friend me! Also, I promised an update on _Conceiving With You_ so that should be out tomorrow, I think. As an afterthought, I was thinking that Genma is completely dirty yet a gentleman. Crazy huh? Okay, end long author note.

Surmise


	10. Blurred

_Chapter Ten_

_Blurred_

* * *

"You confuse me," she answered in a small voice.

That had been the truth. Clean cut and undiluted by excuses and ramblings, that was as plain as she could put it. His words were cryptic and her only guess was that if it didn't make sense to her, one could only hope that it made sense to him.

She had only been awake over a span of just two months yet it was enough for her to notice that Sasuke could not handle emotions. And on the singular chance that he could recognize a particularly powerful one, he expressed it in all the wrong ways.

"What the hell is confusing about that?"

"Because I don't know how to interpret it – your words I mean."

"I'm not speaking another language," came his dry reply. "I…just…it's complicated. Far more than you know. Than anyone knows…"

"Than you know?" She offered.

"I know, but I wouldn't expect you to understand."

She folded her arms across her chest in a determined fashion. It was a clear attempt at trying to appear less foolish and more established. "Try me."

He glanced at her, heat in his gaze; though she could tell none of it was directed towards her. "I could have thought of anyone. My parents, Kakashi, the dobe…my brother…hell that sick freak," Sakura shuddered at the mention of Orochimaru. "Yet I couldn't bring myself to do it. There was…just you. And I don't get it!"

That had done it. His outburst had set off Tsunade who they could hear bustling down the hallway. The door opened and Tsunade poked her head in. "You," She directed towards Sakura. "Out. And _you_ get ready to have one hell of a long week in here. Best wishes." She disappeared through the doorway, presumably to attend to another patient.

A team of medics stalked in, shouting orders all at once. It was to Sakura's knowledge that they were going to transfer him to a more comfortable room where he would dwell for the remainder of his stay.

They wheeled his bed out, his eyes never leaving her face. His facade was frustrated, whether at the interruption of their conversation or at the words that had been spoken between them, she didn't know. Sakura could not bring her eyes to stray from his face so they remained glued to his until the door forced them to separate.

* * *

A week passed. It went without much disturbance aside from the occasional blunder from Naruto. And it was he who finally reminded Sakura that their friend was due for his leave of the hospital.

So it was on that early Sunday morning, when she found herself baring the cold weather to go pick up her ex-teammate. Her feet carried her down the usual shortcut she took when walking to her shift. The pink haired woman pulled her scarf tighter while inwardly wishing that she'd thought to wear gloves before leaving the house.

With a sigh that turned into a puff of chilly fog she rounded the corner of a vacant laundry mat. A blinding pain erupted into her forehead as she bumped into something hard and solid.

"I'm sorry…" She mumbled the apology without quite looking at the person she'd ran into. Sakura made to move but was surprised to find that the figure had her wrist in a vice like grip.

"I'm not." A gruff voice sniggered. Immediately her eyes narrowed into slits as she recognized the man, rather the idiot that was now grinning. He was nameless as far as she remembered and she only knew him by face. He was good-looking, if you liked the scruffy kind she supposed.

He'd tried to hit on her the previous week but was deathly disappointed when she was everything but responsive. As she had already predicted, he'd gone into a fit of anger and tried to kiss her. That only resulted in the breaking of his right arm which she was still smug to see was in a sling. A quick glance around revealed that there was three men standing behind him, most likely his buddies.

"Hey there Sakura, remember me?"

She rolled her eyes and then jerked her arm back. "I'm trying not to, trust me."

This was not the answer he had been hoping to hear, for his grin was wiped into a frown. "Likeable bitch aren't you?" With his good arm, he pushed her stomach which resulted in her back hitting the brick wall behind her.

He used his right leg to part her thighs and stand between them, while Sakura shook off the stars in her eyes. If anything, she was nothing short of pissed.

He was _so_ not trying to do what she thought he was trying to do because if he was, she was going to castrate him. And then burn his unmentionables into a pile of dust.

A look over his shoulder revealed that his three friends were sprawled in the snow, groaning. Huh, that was odd. She could have sworn they had been standing two seconds ago.

Going back to the matter at hand, she simply brought her knee up, carefully applying some chakra to the blow, and watched as he stumbled back wheezing. "If you ever touch me again, I'm going to break your face," Sakura said calmly, dusting her coat off.

It was then that the man was tapped on the shoulder, and Shiranui Genma peered down at him cheerfully. The man was still grunting in pain, so he had no time to react.

With his senbon still pleasantly situated in his mouth, Genma thrust the other male's _broken_ arm in an odd angle. A dry scream of agony erupted from his throat and his eyes swam with moisture.

"It's too bad that its already broken…maybe I could give your other one a go…?"

The man was already limping down the pathway, the smoke from the laundry mat blowing in his face.

"I could have handled that," came Sakura's surprised voice.

Genma smiled at her. "Oh, I could tell. I don't think you noticed his friends though." He helped her up from the wall and released her arm when she glared at him.

"I did. I was going to get to them – eventually."

And then his smile was gone and his voice was quiet. "He was going to rape you. And his sick friends were going to watch. Disgusting."

"But he didn't."

"Yes, but what if you'd been particularly tired this morning? That guy could have been a ninja and so could his friends. And don't look at me like that because I'm only trying to be practical here."

"I know. Thank you, Genma." She smiled and it seemed to infect him also. "But I _could_ have beaten those men by myself. You know, maybe I didn't hit him hard enough down there."

"You are quite welcome. And did I ever tell you that you are one scary woman?"

"No, but thanks?"

He chuckled, the laugh lines on the side of his eyes appeared. Now that she really had the chance to survey his face, he was all smiles and sunshine. In reality, he appeared to be close to her age, possibly twenty-six. Sure he was a flirt and maybe even a bit of a ladies' man but there was something about him…

"Want to go get something to eat?" He asked as he stepped on one of the sprawled out men. He groaned but they both ignored it as they rounded the corner.

"Yes but," she checked her watch. "I have to pick Sasuke up pretty soon."

"How soon is soon?"

"An hour…"

"That's enough time to grab some food. I'll even walk you there. My treat?" His brown eyes seemed to twinkle down at her.

"Fine, so you can stop bullying me into agreeing. You're like some kid with an inferior complex from the academy or something that waits everyday at the swing to take my lunch money."

"Wait, why am I stealing your money again?" They laughed and she nudged him playfully causing him to wince slightly.

They stopped outside of a convenience stand after several minutes of walking. "Anything you like." He gestured grandly at the limited menu that hung above the stand and over their heads.

She thought it over but decided that she was too hungry to care. "I'll take whatever you're getting." Genma shrugged and told the elderly man something.

He returned with two small dishes of Gyoza and a smile. The delicious smell of cooked dumplings and meat wafted towards her and before long she was already throwing the empty container away.

Genma glanced down at his barely eaten dish and then at her face with an amazed look. "Did you just…?"

She grinned sheepishly. "I did."

"I don't really mind," he said as he finished what was left of his own meal. "I mean it's kind of sexy in a weird way."

She didn't know whether that was good or bad. They continued onwards towards the hospital, chatting amiably about the most random things, like how in Sakura's genin days, Ino's front bang used to defy gravity.

The wind was whipping past so she unconsciously leaned into the nearest warmth. At the last second, Sakura faltered but was reassured by Genma's pleasant whisper. "Go ahead, unless it's because I have offensive body odor or something."

She giggled which turned into a sneeze. "You don't." Genma's embrace was comfortable and warm. Contrary to her earlier thoughts, his arms were bigger than they appeared and quite impressive. But nothing like...

"Sasuke!" She blurted out suddenly.

"What's wrong?"

"We're sort of late. Look," Her watch said they were in fact several minutes late. "Let's hurry."

By the time they crossed a small intersection and went over the boardwalk, the white hospital loomed into view. "So I'll see you around, right?" The brunet asked as they neared the front doors.

"Well if we keep meeting like this then I'm pretty sure you will," she joked.

His face was suddenly apologetic. "About that…er…I don't want to come off as a stalker or anything," he laughed nervously. "But I was worried about you and I sorta waited for you this morning. Those ANBU are still out there and who knows? They may have a bone to pick with you. So be careful and…try to stay away from Sasuke as much as possible. And yes, I know you guys are friends but they attacked him. And I don't think they suddenly grew a heart and will spare you if you cross paths. Sorry for making you late. I'll see you later gorgeous."

"Wait!"

He turned, eyes twinkling with amusement. "Yes?"

The rosette haired medic bit her lip nervously before asking, "Thanks for earlier with those men. I don't know, but I feel like I owe you so do you need anything? Anything at all?"

Was it her imagination or did his chocolate eyes suddenly flicker to her mouth? He grinned, the senbon moving to the corner of his full lips. "Stay safe," was all he said before continuing down the road.

Somewhat miffed, Sakura scratched her head and then darted into the entrance.

"I'm here for Uchiha Sasuke," Sakura muttered breathlessly to the middle aged secretary.

"Sorry dear, but he already checked himself out. A strange boy that one is. He was quite fine-looking though…"

Sakura thanked the secretary and dashed out into the snow. Knowing him, he was already half way to his house. She turned the next two streets and made a left out into one of the more desolate parts of town. His house was only a block away or so…

"What are you doing here?"

She turned towards his voice, already apologizing. He shrugged and continued walking. "I'm not interested in apologies. What you do with your time is no concern of mine."

She caught up to him in a few strides. "Well I don't really have to check up on you today. I mean I'm pretty sure your attending medics cleaned and changed your dressings."

"They did."

"That's good."

"If you say so." It was clear that he was disinterested in starting a conversation with her and that his only matter was getting home as quickly as possible.

"So I'll be by tomorrow morning, then."

"The door will be unlocked."

Thinking that it was best to leave, she pivoted on her heel and headed in the opposite direction. Some twenty-something minutes later, she reached her apartment and opened up her door. Sakura collapsed onto her couch. She was already dozing off when she realized that she wasn't the only one seated.

"Sai!"

He watched her with a blank expression. Now _normally_, this was his normal attitude. But there was no hidden laughter or curiosity in his eyes. Only a deep seriousness lined his face and for a second she could have sworn it was Sasuke sitting across from her.

"Sakura," he said, voice low. "Stay away from Uchiha Sasuke."

"Wh-"

He was already rising from his seat, intent on leaving. "It's been almost two years since I've seen you. You look well or as well as you're ever able to look." Sakura was no fool. His teasing had been forced, or rehearsed. There was friction in his eyes and she knew it.

"Don't you want to catch up?"

"I'm working on an assignment, actually."

"And that would be…?"

"-Classified." And with that, he vanished through the doorway.

* * *

She was still chewing over Sai's cryptic words when she knocked on Sasuke's door. After several minutes, she tried the lock which turned. So he had not forgotten to unlock his door.

She removed her shoes at the front and tiptoed into the hallway. "Hellooo? Sasuke?" She ventured into the living room where she saw him seated, arms folded.

"You're late," came his stoic reply.

"Thanks captain obvious." She set her bag down on the small coffee table and dug through it for her stethoscope. Upon finding her desired tool, she went immediately to work. It was almost cruel how she had to force herself to look at his body in the most detached and clinical fashion.

Sasuke, as cool as a cucumber, seemed just about as affected as a lamp post when her fingers grazed across his skin. Sakura finished dressing his arm, which had previously sported a nasty gash, and packed her things.

"About earlier…I'm still confused," Sakura revealed slowly. The Uchiha simply looked at her with a vacant façade. "It's really not in my nature to explain things."

"You're telling me that you are not _able_ to explain a simple sentence?"

There was no hiding the incredulity in her voice.

"Maybe I should clarify. It's not in my nature to explain things to _you_."

Sakura growled, throwing her arms up in the air in defeat. "But you just "explained" something to me. It defeats the purpose!"

"Caught that, did you?" He sighed. Behind him, the afternoon light wafted through the curtains and threw odd beams of sunshine in his hair and eyes. For a moment he appeared to be a myriad of colors and when the sunlight withdrew, he reverted back into an obsidian Adonis.

She blinked, shaken from her thoughts, and cleared her throat. "You're an asshole."

Nothing changed about his body and that in itself was enough to drive her up the wall. "You can leave, Sakura."

Determinedly stalking back towards the couch, she seated herself several spaces away from him. He growled and eyed her speculatively. She shrugged. "You can make all the weird noises you like but I'm not leaving until I get some answers. Some damn good ones."

He looked at her strangely, and it was then that she could see that she'd struck a chord.

"It's annoying that whenever I'm with you, I have to strain myself to be normal. Or what I've trained myself to believe normal is. The rules, the restrictions, they don't seem to apply to you. It's killing me – you're killing me," he said slowly, so slowly that she could repeat his words in the same tempo.

"And the frustrating part is I can't decide which is worse. You making me feel alive or the fact that you're killing me. Funny."

"I don't understand…"

"Of course you don't. You don't get it. _I_ don't get it! One minute you're dying and the next you're in a coma and now you're here and the dobe is making sense, which doesn't make sense, and you are…killing me," he rushed out but faltered at the end. "Every day, I'm dying piece by piece, breaking down into something else. What happens when there's nothing left to break? When there's nothing left to fix? What happens when I look in the mirror and I'm not the same? Tell me, Sakura, once you've stripped me of everything will I still hold that fascination? Will you still love me?" He spat.

He shot up and paced backwards, knocking over everything in sight. "Or is it just the mystery of the Uchiha that draws you in? If I wasn't so fucked up would you even look at me? Am I just one big puzzle for you to put together again?" He crouched in front of her, looking her dead in the face. She wanted to flinch away from him, or run. Sakura wanted to sink into the cushions or the floorboards – _anything_ – if it would take her away from his black ire.

"Or is it something else?" He whispered, his face mere inches from hers. She tried her best not to flinch away when his black eyes flashed precariously. She could see it, the way his eyes very carefully darted towards her lips and back toward her gaze.

And suddenly she was pulling his head towards her own and the next thing she knew her lips were about to descend upon his…

"Exactly as I thought," he whispered to himself. "Just shallow and aesthetical reasons. Even I know that this isn't love, what you feel, its lust."

And with that, he pushed himself up, leaving her in a confused daze. When it all came rushing back – it really came with surprising clarity. He had been testing her, seeing how far she would go. Obviously, she failed, in his eyes at least.

"You ass!" She screamed, the humiliation hitting her. Hard. Against all reason or judgment she'd been about to kiss him and it looked like he'd wanted to kiss her too. But leave it to Uchiha Sasuke to turn something as simple as a kiss into a mind game.

"If you had any sense then you would know that I've loved you since I was twelve! Never have I stopped! So don't call my reasons "shallow and aesthetical". If anything you are more supercilious than I. You know that I love you and then you throw it in my face! What is that? Noble? Hardly."

She looked at him, and shook her head. "You know what? I think you're scared. That's all it is. You're scared of what you're becoming. This isn't about me or what I'd do if you suddenly became a better person. No. This is purely about you being frustrated at yourself. Newsflash! Sasuke you are changing for the better. And maybe just maybe, those things that make you angry and sad, those things called emotions, are changing. Maybe you're feeling something different. Maybe you might actually…" And then she stopped herself.

Because it was ridiculous. She could really slap herself for putting her foot in her mouth. He couldn't possibly feel that way. Not even if someone shoved him in a cocoon for fifty years and he emerged under a new personality.

"I might actually…?" He asked, softer somehow.

She turned away and swallowed down the lump in her throat. "It doesn't matter." But he was suddenly there. She did not know how but he had materialized in front of her, with a blurred look on his face.

"I might actually return your feelings?" He laughed, the sound cold. "Or that I might actually have a heart? Somewhere, beating inside my chest? Or were you going to say that I was actually scared and that I've been denying this whole time what I've denied myself from the very start?"

He laughed again, this time it struck her somewhere deep inside, threatening to bring an entirely different meaning to the phrase "a broken heart." She'd had that before. No, this was a demolished heart. One that had been trampled, tore, burned, and scorned upon.

"Because if you were going to say that then," He looked at her, eyes flashing. "You were exactly right."

And with the grace of a predator, he pulled her face to his, and pressed his lips upon her own.

* * *

To be continued…

* * *

A/N: You want to kill me. Don't you?

Surmise


	11. Ended

_Chapter Eleven_

_Ended_

* * *

Previously:

"_I might actually return your feelings?" He laughed, the sound cold. "Or that I might actually have a heart? Somewhere, beating inside my chest? Or were you going to say that I was actually scared and that I've been denying this whole time what I've denied myself from the very start?"_

_He laughed again, this time it struck her somewhere deep inside, threatening to bring an entirely different meaning to the phrase "a broken heart." She'd had that before. No, this was a demolished heart. One that had been trampled, tore, burned, and scorned upon._

"_Because if you were going to say that then," He looked at her, eyes flashing. "You were exactly right."_

_And with the grace of a predator, he pulled her face to his, and pressed his lips upon her own._

* * *

There were no words for this.

Not that she could form any at the moment. Sasuke was cradling her face in between his hands, while his lips moved against hers.

Contrary to any misconceptions, he was not made out of stone. Only _she _was. Sakura could not bring herself to form any sort of a reaction. There was only room for surprise and that in itself felt like a punch in the gut. A rather good punch in the gut. If, she wondered briefly, that even made sense. One minute they had been arguing and then next thing she knew – bam! – He was all over her making face time.

It was like a dream but she knew it not to be one because his mouth felt **very** real. And alluring. He seemed to notice her lack of response but it did nothing to stop his persistence. If anything, it was like she had been waving the customary Uchiha fan in his face and now the flames had grown.

Oh what the hell.

Her hands were locked in his hair, pushing forcefully so that he was forced to back up. When there was nowhere else for him to rear into – his back connected with the wall. Her hands – his hands – were tangled together in some intricate web that she almost didn't think it was possible that they were still standing.

They both heard the paper paneling of the wall rip a bit and the "Ooops!" she had been about to say was swallowed by another kiss. "The wall - "she started but stopped when he silenced her. "I'll replace it."

Under the haze of moans and groans, Sakura began to realize several things. His hands were under her t-shirt grazing over the toned flesh of her stomach, his kisses were deepening, and the emotions circulating between them had gone haywire.

Her earlier hesitance had only been a prelude – she realized too late. Panic, fresh from a year's worth of pent up emotions, erupted in her throat. She thought she had screamed. It sure felt like it. But to Sasuke, it was probably another intimate sound of bliss.

She pushed against his chest, but it did little to sway him. His actions, while at first pleasing, now had the opposite effect. It was hitting too close to home. The emotions – lust, confusion, frustration, desperateness, love? – bounced between them as a ping pong ball would do. This coupled with the weight of his lips – which felt good but too urgent – brought back the sensations of _that_ night.

When his hands, that were under her shirt, grazed over the tiny scar above her breasts where he had used the binding jutsu, she lost it.

Pushing with more force than necessary, Sasuke was forced to separate from her.

"What's wrong?" He breathed against her lips.

Panting, she fixed her shirt. Sakura had the distinct impression that the Uchiha probably hadn't even realized that she had been resisting let alone about to have a break down. "I –I…it's too much. It brings back memories of that night…"

"I see."

Truth be told, it made her smug to see that he was breathing just as heavily as she. She smirked a little which he returned.

He went to sit on the couch yet she remained standing. The pink haired medic wasn't sure what had transpired between them or if it was going to affect their already awkward relationship in any way. "Sakura," he said calmly. "Come sit with me."

She faltered but in the end, she decided to obey. It was almost comical how she sat on the farthest cushion from his body. Sighing, Sasuke pulled her next to him with one sweep of his arms. "Quit being so jumpy. I'm not going to hurt you."

She blinked, and then relaxed.

"I know this must be," he thought for a moment, "…different. And I don't want you to think that this is something casual. I want you. I want this." Sasuke watched her still guarded expression with determined eyes. "But, I can wait. I mean I'm not going anywhere. There's nowhere for me to go. Not that I would want to, not now."

"Why are you so cruel to me?" Now that the impossible had just happened, hence the kiss, she might as well ask something that she had never dared ask before.

He bowed his head, ashamed. "Is that what I am? Cruel?" He laughed shortly. "I'm not used to this. To these feelings. And because of that I get so damned frustrated all of the time. And you're just an easy target. Sorry."

"What are we now?"

He eyed her slowly, taking his time. An eternity seemed to pass before he answered. "I don't know." Her body instantly tensed, locking down for the rejection that was so close to coming. "And maybe you're not ready. Hell, maybe I'm not ready. I just – I don't want to lose you. Not to him. Not to _anyone_."

"Sasuke?"

He looked at her imploringly. "You once told me that we went wrong somewhere. But maybe it was meant to be that way. Maybe it took all of that so we could find each other now. I think that you leaving the village allowed me to grow. Not just in my abilities. I was twelve then, just a girl. But we're both adults now. You're twenty one and I'm twenty. I'd say, we've waited long enough."

And then she kissed him. It was softer, more delicate, now that she was in control. He seemed surprised when she moved to be on top of him but said nothing. "Too fast?" He whispered in between a kiss.

"No." It was the truth. Now that they had settled several things and had come to some understanding, she was more at ease. His teeth caught her lower lip when she made to move her head, and his hands softly tangled themselves in her hair.

* * *

"_Uchiha!" An infuriating voice drifted into the confines of his bedroom. He glanced down at the woman in his arms, who was asleep and then at his door._

_He glared at it for several minutes before sighing. Carefully, he lowered her still fully clothed body onto a more softer spot on his mattress and padded lightly into the hallway._

_The raven haired shinobi knew who it was on the other side. Not that it took a genius to put two and two together. Shiranui Genma was like an annoying insect that he just wanted to crush beneath his heels._

_The door swung open slightly, and Sasuke leaned against the frame._

"_Uchiha," the brunet male growled. He noticed that he wasn't addressing him by his first name and that his normally pleasant tone was gone. "I know that she's in there!"_

_Sasuke shrugged. "So what?" There was no point in denying it. And why should he? It wasn't like he had to answer to the fool anyways. Which brought up an interesting conundrum. Why had he answered the door in the first place? Oh right, because Sakura was trying to sleep._

"_Why?" He hissed._

"_I'd let you ask her but she's asleep. Worn out actually." Sasuke smirked. Let him make of that whatever he would._

_It nearly gave him pleasure to see the sneer drop from his face and form into an expression of incredulousness. The senbon nin looked like he wanted to explode yet simultaneously pass out. Hah. That would be like Christmas come early. "She's with you?"_

"_Yes."_

_Genma laughed to himself. "I guess it can't be helped. And I know that she could do better…"_

"_- like you?"_

"…_.but she could do a lot worse. But tell me this, Uchiha: if she won't let go, will you?"_

_And his words struck him somewhere. It brought up all of the reasons why he shouldn't have spent the night with her, kissing, and talking like there had been no tomorrow. Was he so selfish that he would let her get hurt? Even if he wanted her more than anything? People were trying to kill him and he was going to try and pursue a relationship with her?_

_The idiot had a point._

_Genma smiled, this time it was triumphant. "I'll take good care of her."_

_But Sasuke had already closed the door in his face. It was one thing to be right but it was another to gloat. He knew what he had to do. What he had to say. _

_He padded back towards his bedroom and slipped into bed with her. Very carefully, he slipped his arms around her waist like he had never left._

_She was going to hate him._

_And somehow, he didn't know why, that thought seemed more unbearable than the thought of his lost family. Because she was all he really had left. Before, he had been living day by day, expecting nothing out of life. He had accepted the reality of dying alone and discontinuing the clan. What would be the point?_

_But then, with one kiss, he was sure that he'd found his reason. His goal. And he could see himself with her for the rest of his life. He could see himself watching her grow to surpass her mentor, and then rise to new heights._

_He could see himself coming home to her every night, with her in his arms, and her sighing his name in ecstasy. He could see her round with his children. He could see a ring on her finger and with a new name._

_He could see her smile._

_And then reality had settled back in – and once again everything was being taken from him. No that wasn't true. He was going to give her up willingly. It was for her. All for her. Because it was not just about him anymore. He'd forgotten that._

_The moment he had bound his life to hers – he should have known. But she was his responsibility now. And it was for her sake that he was going to give her up. So that she could have a life. _

_With another man._

_Not him._

_But he'd be damned if he was going to watch her life slip away because of him. She would not become a target. There would be no liabilities. Why did he do this to himself? Why? Why had he hoped?_

_But he couldn't bring himself to regret it. This night had been the best in a long time. Once past the initial iciness, he could be at ease with her. They had kissed, talked for hours, and had eventually fallen asleep. Nothing serious. _

_But it had changed him. Somehow. And knowing that this would be the last time – because it would be – it killed him. They had ended before they had even begun. It had ran its course._

_He breathed in, committing the moment to memory, and closed his eyes._

* * *

"NO!"

She shot up, reaching for him. Gasping, shuddering, and crying all at once, she felt like the world had been ripped from her. That had been no dream. Genma had been here and Sasuke didn't want her.

He stared at her, his face too composed. Perhaps he had already grieved while she had slept and had blocked it from her. Or perhaps he didn't care as much as she would have liked to think.

"It's over, Sakura." There was no remorse in his voice. Just emptiness. As if he had lost the will to care. "I don't blame you, it was me. I should have known. Your safety is a hell of a lot more important than what I want. What I need."

"We can make this work, we can!"

"Make what work? We shared a kiss. That's it."

She stared at him, helpless and hurt at the same time. "I thought it was different for you…"

"It was," he explained, empty. "But it's over. And now you can be free to choose whoever you like. I'm no good for you anyways. It was pointless to think so." And she could see it in his eyes that he truly meant that.

He got up from the bed, body numb. His hands were shoved into his pant's pockets,as if to keep from reaching for her,as he walked to the door. "That's it then?"

"Yes."

"And you're not even going to fight?"

"No."

"Don't I mean anything to you?"

"YES!" That seemed to trigger something in him. "This is for _you_! God, I want you. To keep you. But…I will not let you die because of me."

"But what about if these ANBU are captured?"

"What if they aren't? What if I never find them?"

"But…"

"And if I do. Years from now that is. If I finally am able to kill them all and there is no danger, what then? You will have moved on and it will be too late. So to save us both the pain, I can't see you after tonight."

"What? You can't even look at me now?"

"It makes it harder."

"All these years…I thought that I was _weak_. But I was so wrong." She shook her head, a tear in her eye. "You are the weak one. You are the one who is giving up on us before we even started…"

"Say whatever you like," he turned away, face wiped clean. "When I get back I expect this house to be empty, Sakura."

The door closed, leaving the room in total darkness. Sakura stared at the spot he had been standing in with wet eyes.

She did not see how she was going to make it through this one.

* * *

_TBC_

* * *

A/N:

No they didn't do the dirty. Almost. But not quite. I tried to imply this several times but for those that will ask, I repeat, no they did not do the deed. Sheesh. And I know this is M. But there will be no lemons. This is for ahem, I don't want to ruin the plot, …future violence. You perverts, you. Although I would like to inform you that I am working on four new projects. One twilight fic. And three SasuSaku stories that are an AU, one-shot, and multi chaptered. IAnd one of those will include lemon(s) or maybe all of them. I don't know when I'll get around to posting them but I know it will be after I am finished with this story and _Conceiving With You. _

And I promise that I will update my other story right after this. I can't help it; my muse has bitten me in the butt. I like keep cranking out chapters because I already wrote the ending – w00t – and I have the general idea of where I want the rest of the fic to go. And yes for those of you who asked about the almost rape scene, that does have a greater purpose, not just to let Genma look cool( or somewhat). And yes I will serve you more Genma to all you Senbon loving fans. And yes I hate Genma as much as you do (Team Sasuke fans. Haha) in this chapter. But its hard to stay mad at him when I am the one who wrote it out. LOL. Review, please. With sugar. Now I have to go meet up with the boyfriend.

Surmise


	12. Started

_Chapter Twelve_

_Started_

* * *

"_You fucking bastard!"_

It was safe to say that in Uchiha Sasuke's case, he was lucky that there was a door in-between him and his best friend. Not that he cared in the least. Naruto thrust the door against the wall and bounded through the threshold of the Uchiha estate. "I should shove that dumb head of yours into the ground," Naruto seethed through tightened teeth.

Sasuke said nothing. He chose to lean against the wall beside him while wearing nothing but a stoic façade.

"So that's it? You have nothing to say? That's funny considering the fact that you had a lot to say to Sakura!"

Still, there was no change in his body. The blond grew even angrier at his lack of emotion. It wasn't like he was expecting the sky to suddenly rip open and the sun to shine out of his ass but he could have shown something. Hell, he'd take anger.

"You kiss her, leading her to believe in something more, and then you bail on her? I knew you were an ass but I didn't know that you could be an even bigger one. Well done and congrats, you've certainly earned asshole of the year."

Sasuke swallowed heavily. "Are you finished with your little monologue?"

"No," the orange nin hissed. "And maybe I won't be for awhile. I understand that you only want to keep her safe, I want that for her too, but she's not a gennin anymore. Sakura can take care of herself. God, she can throw a freaking building into another country! She can handle herself-"

"Not when it comes to this-" Sasuke growled.

"Yes she can! Damn it, you are a fucking idiot_!"_ Naruto yelled at him with the vigor of five men.

For the first time, Sasuke laughed. Although the sound was terribly mocking. The irony of Naruto calling him an idiot – and with so much passion – it was just plain ironic. "And what would you have me do? Date her and continue as if there isn't a mark over my head?"

"Yes."

"No. And don't tell me if you were in my place that you would continue as is."

"I would. I mean I'd take the necessary precautions but I would respect her enough to have full faith in her abilities. I think that's the problem. You can't trust anyone. That was always the problem with you."

The Uchiha looked at the ceiling. Was Naruto right? Maybe. "Your words are worthless so just go. I've made my choices."

The blond's lip curled ever so slightly in plain disgust. "I can see that," he spat. "And I was hoping that for once, just this once that you might do something that isn't just for yourself. Are you really so selfish that you can't see what you're doing to Sakura? Maybe baa-chan was right. Maybe Sharingan _is_ making you go blind."

"Finished?"

Naruto shook his head, that same disgusted expression never leaving his face. "I had to hear this from Genma." He whispered. "You should have told me you were in love with her. I thought that you at least owed me that, bastard. We're supposed to be best friends."

Sasuke froze fractionally. "I never said I loved her."

Naruto sneered and Sasuke decided that it did not suit his face in the slightest. "I wanted to believe in you this time. Give you the benefit of the doubt. But this? You hurt Sakura. _Our_ Sakura. I can't – I won't stand by this time. And as for never saying you loved her, of course you didn't. But you never denied it either." He left, kicking the door to the side as he went.

Yes, he was an evil bastard like everyone was saying. But did that excuse what he had done? Probably not.

* * *

Sakura stared at her notes, which she had just penned down in her study journal, not really seeing them at all. Nonetheless, she could not find the will to do much else.

It was a slow day in the hospital by all accounts. But she wasn't exactly working the ER. Tsunade had taken one look at her and had deemed her incapable of working outside of office duties. Which was totally fair.

She wouldn't allow herself to operate on anyone either since she was quite literally – a mess on heels. It was not like she had huge violet bags under hers eyes. She just appeared to be…fragile. As Tsunade had told her earlier that morning, _"Ugh. I feel like you are going to break if I even smile at you."_

Pushing a few rosette locks behind her ear, she allowed herself to smile at the thought.

"Fancy meeting you here," an engaging baritone loomed from the entrance to her office.

The medic whipped around on her feet while simultaneously forcing the chakra that instinctually fluctuated to her hands, back down. "Genma," she muttered stiffly. "Leave. I could kill you right now. I _want_ to."

Genma shifted slightly, groping his left side all the while. Pissed or not, Sakura could not stop the medic in her from noticing that he seemed to be in pain. "The ER is around the corridor to the left. Just in case you were wondering," She sneered.

He smiled politely.

"I know that you are upset."

She laughed derisively before saying, "Only just a little bit." To emphasis her sarcasm, she pinched her forefingers together to demonstrate how tiny.

Genma chose to ignore her remark. "But I only did what I thought was best for you. And you should know that I only care about you being safe."

"What the hell!" Sakura screamed, the tidal wave of feelings that she had suppressed finally giving way. "Who are _you _again? You are not my sensei, not by comrade, and most certainly not my spouse. So why in God's name would you feel the overwhelming need to protect me? Which by the way I am perfectly capable of doing myself!"

He looked uneasy now, and moved to say something but stopped at the last second. Instead, he chose to say something else. "Intelligence has gathered that there is a list."

She paused and despite her intentions…her heart beat stuttered. "…What?"

There was fresh fear in the brunet's face and it only served to further her own.

"A hit list."

A new tremor of horror slid down her spine and rushed back up. It was as if someone had turned her blood into cold water that ran from a dripping faucet. "And I'm next." That had been no question. Just a confirmation of her imminent doom.

"I don't know," For once Genma did not seem like Genma. Standing in front of her was a man filled with terror. For her. "Intelligence has reported back to us this message: Our coming is near. And there will be signs."

That alone made her realize the danger that she was really in. But she refused to let it shake her anymore than it already had. "The signs," she bit out. "Those are…?"

And then she knew before he reluctantly answered her in a whisper what he was going to say. "Deaths."

Sakura found her knees had started to shake and were close to buckling so she grabbed her desk chair and collapsed into it. It did nothing to help her; her arms had started to shake. "Has anyone..?"

"Nine ANBU are missing. And that's just so far. Apparently, there are no witnesses. They come just that fast and take what they want. Only Sasuke," And then he stopped himself when he saw her flinch. "Only _he_ has survived their clutches. And quite frankly – I'm thinking that was their original intentions."

Sakura mulled that over. "These attacks are too perfect. Too quick. Only if they were acting with help-"

"Are you suggesting that one of our own is helping them?" Genma whispered. Sakura bit her tongue but decided to stand her ground. "Yes."

"Good because that was exactly what I was thinking," He said in a regretful murmur. Obviously, the idea of one of his comrades betraying him was not high on his Christmas list.

"But who? Who on the inside could be feeding them information?" She questioned. Slowly, and with guilt, she briefly allowed her thoughts to flutter to Genma. Was he capable of such treason? No, but she had been wrong before about men that had appeared loyal and had betrayed the village for their own selfish purposes.

"It is too early to tell…I think. I've been keeping tabs on everyone and even Raidou," Sakura's remembered Raidou to be Genma's partner and best friend. "But nothing makes sense. There's nothing suspicious about the active ANBU, it has to be _someone_ else. Someone that would know this village inside out, have connections, and be close enough to the Hokage that leaching information would be the easy part," Genma muttered to himself.

Despite her not wanting them to, his words made sense of the situation. But no one fit the description. Well, that was technically a lie. Plenty of people were capable of treason, but like Genma, Sakura refused to believe one of her friends would do such a thing.

"Is Tsunade aware of your…erm…theory?" Sakura asked hesitantly. His brown eyes flashed at hers, still wistful in their own right. "Not yet. I don't know when to lay this on her. And if it turns out that I'm entirely off base about this…"

"….then she would kill you. I get it." Sakura finished for him.

He smiled at her. Sakura noticed that it did not have its usual flirtatious edge, and she was slightly glad for the change. The last thing she needed was another man in her life when she could barely get over the first. "Well," Genma said finally, senbon bobbing as he spoke. " I'm going to get my side looked at, I hurt it in a sparring session with that sensei of yours."

Engrossed by the mention of her former teacher, Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Kakashi did that to you? That lucky bastard." There was some affection in her tone, but her last comment had not been a total tease.

"I take it that you are still put out with me?"

She tossed him a look that all but confirmed his question.

"Ah," He watched her with sorrow in his gaze. He paused at the door and gave a shake of his head. "You'll never know how sorry I am for what I did. And it's alright that you might never forgive me. But please understand that I only wanted to keep you safe. I was scared. I'll admit to you that much. And desperate. I figured there was only so much time left before those ANBU would decide to target you so I acted quickly. I only did it because-"

"Because why?" Sakura fumed. She could care less that she had interrupted what he was about to say.

He gave one look at her furious face and steadily watering eyes and sighed. "Nothing." He shut the door softly and Sakura heard him walk down the tiled corridor, a limp in his step by the sounds of it.

Maybe it was paranoia or maybe it was the inner psyche in her that had never fully left – but she had a feeling in her gut. And it was telling her that she had possibly interrupted something extraordinarily significant.

* * *

Like promised, Konoha was being consumed in a shroud of calamity. The signs that they had been warned were coming had arrived. And there was little one could do to prepare for it.

Of the first to suffer had been the civilians.

"Damn it all to hell!" Roughly, a pair of slender hands slammed a thick stack of black and white paper against the cedar wood of Sakura's dining room table. It shook briefly and made an odd groaning sound.

"Geez Ino…"

There was a curse and a mumbled apology.

"I swear you're the one with the super strength in this friendship."

The cloudy blue eyed femme fatale huffed but they both knew it was her form of laughter. The black and white paper turned out to be the daily newspaper, Sakura noticed, and that the headline seemed to actually jump out at her.

DEADLY ASSAULTS: INNOCENTS TARGETED

She actually felt her eyes begin to brim with tears at the memory of all of the people who had been gashed to death. And several background checks had revealed that they had all lead good and virtuous lives with no record of criminal activity. In conclusion they had all just been regular people. No vendetta. Nothing.

"You see?" Ino asked, her own tinkling voice breaking slightly. "No one is safe. People are dying. Good people. And we do nothing but sit here and hope that we're not next. This is ridiculous. Outrageous!" She tossed her flaxen ponytail behind her in aggravation.

They were huddled together in Sakura's apartment – Ino "keeping her company." It was no secret that she did not have it all together these days. It had been a month since her episode with Sasuke( her hands balled into fists at the thought), two weeks since her last discussion with Genma, and a week from the time when all of the attacks started to happen.

In a span of a month, give or take some days, her life had taken a serious downwards spiral. Everyone was worried about her and it would seem that Genma wasn't the only one that thought she might be the next target. So that was why Ino spent the majority of her time finding excuses to come see her when in reality she was scared out of her wits for her best friend.

It was public knowledge now that rouge ANBU were attacking people. Tsunade had found that she could deny the public no longer an explanation for the killings and despite all of her previous efforts – it had incited a panic.

Village life lacked its usual vivaciousness and there was now a mandatory curfew that all civilians had to follow and shinobi were encouraged to do the same.

Sakura went to take another sip out of her mug, her mouth anticipating the warm sting of fresh coffee. No liquid greeted her expecting throat, and she groaned.

"Out of coffee?" Ino asked absentmindedly as she flipped through a catalogue.

To Sakura it was almost comical how her blonde friend could be so upset at one moment and then be completely engrossed with a fashion magazine in the next instant.

The cherry haired medic shook her mug again, this time tipping it unsuccessfully into her mouth, draining it for some sort of drip of any kind. "Yeah…." She finally answered.

Ino gave a roll of her eyes but not before giving her a disapproving once-over. "You're going to be a caffeine druggie by the time you turn twenty-one."

"Well it's good to know I have at least some months to go before I kick the bucket."

The blonde giggled. "Oh shut up. But anyways back to the point at hand, you are definitely not leaving this house to go get some coffee beans. It's past curfew."

"Thanks mother for your touching concern," Sakura drawled playfully, already tugging on her coat and scarf. "But I'll have you know that I am a grown ass," She faltered at Ino's threatening glare. "…er…a grown woman for that matter and that I am a kunoichi which means that curfew doesn't apply to me."

"It's encouraged."

"Whatever, I'm out. See you in a few."

Ino sighed and went back to her catalogue. Sakura exited her apartment door and then locked it. She was halfway down the path when she heard Ino's tinkling soprano voice call to her, "Don't talk to strangers or to strange men that offer you candy!"

* * *

Her gloved hands had barely touched the coffee( the last of the Starchucks which happened to be _really_ expensive) when she heard him. Quickly, she raised herself on tip toe to look over the shelf of the convenience store aisle.

There in plain sight, Uchiha Sasuke was debating on what type of soup to buy. Not far behind him, Naruto trailed after with a cart stuffed with junk food, the most prominent being a case of variety flavored ramen.

Sakura gasped and then ducked when a pair of dark eyes shot around to locate the source.

"Oi teme! What the hell is wrong with you?" Naruto chimed from behind his mountain of sweets. He pushed the cart towards the Uchiha who visibly shrank away from the offending objects. He didn't like sweets.

Sasuke eyed a particular large piece of cake in the cart and made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. "Nothing. But who's paying for all of this?"

"You. Duh."

The Uchiha narrowed his eyes, and went back to glancing between the objects in his hands. Naruto peered over his shoulder and gave a loud guffaw. "Please don't tell me that you are seriously stuck between deciding whether you want "Garden Fresh" tomato soup and "Roasted with Garlic"? What the hell is the difference? They're both tomato soup!"

Sasuke glared at him, and shrugged him off of his shoulders. "I wouldn't expect you to know the difference between the two let alone taste it."

While all of this was taking place, Sakura resisted the urge to laugh, cry, and bolt for the door all at once. That comment about tomatoes had been _so_ Sasuke that it was almost funny.

"So have you given any thought to what I've been telling you about?" Naruto asked casually.

"Actually I don't really give much thought to anything you say. Just thought you should know."

"Sakura," Naruto said calmly.

Both she and Sasuke jerked at the mention of her given name. Sakura had started to tense, thinking that she had been caught, but relaxed once she realized that there was no danger.

"See?" Naruto continued. "You are still affected by the very mention of her name. Maybe you should reconsider…."

"_No_."

If possible, her heart just broke again. But there was something odd about the two of them that she just couldn't place. If what Ino had been telling her held any grain of truth, the two were reportedly mad at each other.

Then again grudges never did work well with men – who usually were over the problem after a good roughening up.

From what her olive eyes could see, Naruto's face had gone from hopeful to somewhat pissed. She flexed her heels again because standing on tip toe for so long was actually quite uncomfortable. The notion made a small squeak but once again she had gone unnoticed.

"I've forgiven you Sasuke for hurting Sakura-chan and even now I still don't even know why," The blond was already pushing the cart towards the check out. He was speaking over his shoulder as he went. "But I won't forgive being lied to. How long will it take you to actually fess up about how you feel?"

Sasuke breathed in sharply for a second and turned his heated glare on his closest friend. "And how _long_ will it be until this annoying fixation with my personal life subsides?" He snapped back.

Naruto looked like he wanted to respond just as angrily but something stopped him. Sakura did not know what it was nor could she find enough sense to care. Her attention was focused solely on the brooding male in the center of the aisle. "One day you'll wake up and realize just how much you fucked up but until then…enjoy stupidity."

And then he calmly pushed his cart down the aisle, leaving Sasuke to walk broodingly behind him.

The pink haired medic exulted and ran a hand through her hair. She noted that her palms were rather wet from nervousness and that her heart was still racing – even after the danger had retreated.

Several minutes later, she found herself digging through her pockets for an extra bill for her coffee ( which was overpriced) when the cashier cursed and then screamed at a younger looking employee to go fetch something outside.

"Sorry," The elderly man behind the counter sighed. "That young man forgot his soup, his does that quite often. Why just last week…"

But Sakura was too preoccupied to listen. Her hands had started to shake and she felt her grip on her coffee beans slip. It hit the floor with a mild thud and she was about to make a mad dash to the back exit but it was much to late.

The young employee came bustling back inside the shop, bringing with him a gust of cold air and one annoyed looking Uchiha Sasuke.

* * *

TBC

* * *

A/N: I'm back from my temporary hiatus! You can all vent to me now, which I know is much deserved. I am sorry to have kept my babes worried and waiting but I was much too preoccupied with school, work, and writing to update. The good news is that I have most of this story finished which will mean waaaay faster updates and that I have been working on my other story: _Conceiving With You (_which should be updated very soon)_. _There will be drama and action in the very near future for this story and romance, so stayed tuned folks. As I cannot address everything in this chapter, please put questions or concerns in reviews or pms which I will try to respond to as quickly as possible. Thanks for the overwhelming feedback guys! I apologize on my lateness but please continue to stick with me my pretties. Much love.

**Mackenzie2388, dear, I appreciate your support, really I do, but please don't take intros from my profile and put them onto yours. I creatively typed that and it is not a copy and paste sort of thing, those were my original words. This is just a request as I cannot force you to do something against your will, but it is **_**very**_** irritating.**

Surmise


	13. Killed

_Chapter Thirteen_

_Killed_

* * *

Everything occurred so fast.

She saw the young employee enter the store, an irritated Sasuke in his stead, and watched as the employee bent to his knees to pick up her fallen bag of coffee when it happened.

For a moment the Uchiha seemed to be just as surprised as she was – and then they both felt the immense pressure of what felt like a thunder wave of chakra. Sasuke stared at her for a split second, still stunned by seeing her in a convenience store of all places, and before she could react he had ghosted out of sight.

She made a noise that was a cross between sheer surprise and pain when the air was knocked out of her throat and her lower mid section erupted into a span of aches. That pain however lasted for only a second when it was replaced by a feeling of panic.

She had been thrown into one side of the store and her body had hit what felt like a supply shelf.

"What?" But her question was drowned out by a heap of screams, and then she knew what was actually happening.

_They_ were here.

Rough hands snaked around her mouth first and then her shoulder blades. Sakura struggled but whoever was suffocating her – only pulled tighter. She was about to use a chakra enhanced head butt on her attacker when they spoke. "Damn it, Sakura-chan! It's only me. Quit squirming!" Naruto hissed into her ear.

"Baka!" She managed to choke out and he released her mouth once he realized she couldn't breathe. "What happened?" She rasped quietly. Somewhere around them, somebody screamed.

"The bastard and I both felt the chakra and by the time I ran in here, he had already knocked you into the back room so they wouldn't get you. Although he could have been a lot gentler," he swore quietly and reached behind himself for something. "…you're bleeding."

The dots that had been swimming in her vision lessened and she was able to see that they were in fact in some sort of stocking room – away from the front of the store.

Her head was throbbing and she would bet money that was the spot that was oozing blood. A quick check to the back of her head revealed that it was tender and the hand that she brought back to her face was covered in thick red liquid.

"Where's Sasuke?" She managed to croak as she healed the fresh wound in seconds. Naruto handed her a cloth he found on a shelf behind him and she wiped her hands.

"Right here," the object of her speech answered as he stepped forward from the shadow of the door. His black eyes roved over her distorted form and they softened in apology once he saw the extent of the damage he had caused in his effort to push her out of harms way. "Sorry…for that," He muttered and then bent to sit next to her.

Outside, the chakra pulsed and then stopped all together. The screaming had passed leaving nothing but a dead silence in its absence.

Before she could object to it, Sasuke had pushed her body so that it was practically sitting on top of his, her back to his chest, and his hand around her mouth. "Don't say anything or I will knock you out," he breathed into her ear, completely serious.

Eyes whirling in their sockets, she searched wildly for Naruto. But when she found his tall form that was bent by the door, his face was just as serious as his best friend's. "He's right, Sakura. Just don't move or make any sounds."

From the crack in the door, the trio of shinobi could make out the entire scene as it played before them. Like a legion of phantoms, six ANBU members stood in the middle of the store while standing on overturned shelves.

And then she noticed that someone was speaking. If she could describe it, she would. But there were no words for it. The voice that was speaking reminded her of someone from an earlier time yet very seductive. The speaker was male and his voice grew colder with each passing word. "I'll ask you again, where are they?"

The one in the middle was the speaker and Sakura gulped when his head seemed to swivel in their direction. Unlike regular ANBU, on their sides they carried tip less tantos. On their faces, they bore porcelain masks of tigers, wolves, and boars.

A pretty woman who he had by the collar, cried out in pain when he squeezed her throat with his free hand. "I don't know…really I don't!" But Sakura could see it in her eyes.

She was protecting them.

Sakura felt her stomach tighten and her eyes sting because she knew what was going to happen next. With a resounding crack, the masked ANBU had snapped her neck into two.

And one by one, every civilian in the store bravely denied their attackers about Team Seven's whereabouts even though they witnessed what would be done to them if they did not reveal the truth.

Sakura could see how it was taking every ounce in Naruto's being not to rush out there and attack their assailants but instead he opted for crushing his head in the wall, his expression hidden from his friends.

And once every soul apart from theirs had been killed, they surveyed the store through their porcelains masks. Never once did the rouge ANBU's eyes rove over their hideout, and it took Sakura a moment before she realized that Sasuke had them hidden under a genjutsu.

Either she wasn't as good at genjutsu as she had previously thought or Uchiha Sasuke was just that _talented_.

And once they had ghosted out of sight and both males were sure that they were gone, Sasuke released her from his grip. Naruto's shoulders were shaking and Sasuke's eyes were fierce.

The Uchiha got to his feet and glanced down at her. He offered his left hand to her and she could only stare at it. He sighed. "Sakura, take my hand. We have to go. Put aside whatever hate you feel for me and let's go."

She hesitated…and then took his hand.

* * *

Tsunade was shouting orders left and right so fast that Sakura was sure she was getting whiplash.

"You!" The blonde pointed a perfect finger in the Uchiha's direction. "I want Sakura reinstated as your visiting nurse. Hinata will no longer be assigned to your care. I want zero objections and one hundred percent tolerance. Understood?"

The dark-haired male nodded in assent as he squeezed her fingers. That was definitely something that was bothering her.

Ever since she had accepted his hand back inside that convenience store – he had never let her go. And all throughout the Hokage's orders and shouts, he remained solidly at her side.

She didn't know what to make of the situation.

Her mentor fixed Sakura with a stern gaze and sighed. "I understand that Ino is staying with you?" The petal haired medic jutted her head. "She has to go. I don't want more people involved in this. If possible, I just want the three of you to remain targets. It will make this matter much easier to assess. Not that any of their motives makes sense in the least. If they wanted Uchiha, they could have gotten him….."

Sakura felt Sasuke's fist clench against her fingers. His anger – which she was close enough to feel like a second heartbeat – thrived throughout her own body but she was much more adept at handling it than she had been some months ago. Instead of feeding off of his emotions and growing angry, she simply buried it beneath another strong emotion – worry. Which wasn't hard, seeing as her life was being threatened at every corner.

"You've been practicing," Sasuke noted in a whisper as Tsunade was about to release them.

"Something you would have noticed had you been around," Sakura whispered back, a bit frostily. He said nothing but she could feel the deep rooted regret as it rolled off of him in waves.

The Godaime cleared her throat and they both glanced up to find her looking at them with appraising eyes. "If you two are done whispering to each other like a couple of academy kids, then I would like to tell you that you can go. Just stay vigilant, understood?"

Naruto was the first to the door and Sasuke tugged her along – his fingers still interlaced with her own. "Oh!" Shizune rushed in, mouth set, with Tonton pressed firmly into her chest. "Your mother called, Sakura, and she wants you to stop by because she says your father is feeling under the weather."

"Thanks, Shizune," Sakura said, offering her second mentor a smile. The pretty brunette returned the gesture and then pushed her way into the office to presumably help Tsunade with restoring order.

"That's weird," Naruto muttered as the three of them descended the stairs towards the exit. "I don't remember your mom ever calling for your help. I thought that she usually took your dad to the hospital."

Sakura considered his words and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked into her ear upon sensing her shift in mood.

"Naruto's right. My mom never calls for my help, she always says that I'm too emotionally attached to be of some actual help. But anyways, this is where I turn." The pink haired medic gestured towards the right fork in the street.

Naruto snorted. "You mean where _we_ turn. We're not letting you wander around on your own, Sakura-chan."

"The dobe is right-"

"Did you just say I was right?" Naruto asked, a bit smug.

" – and that would be extremely stupid of us to just let you prance off," Sasuke continued as if his best friend had never spoken.

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

"What do you think?"

It took them only several minutes to find her childhood home which was covered in a light mist of snow. The lights were out or at least they appeared to be from behind the thin material of curtains that laced each window.

There was no need for her to unlock the door. She tried the handle and it gave way almost as if it had been forced from place.

Naruto was the first to find the light switch and he flicked it on with ease. "So where are your parents?"

"They are probably upstairs in their room," Sakura answered over her shoulder as she approached the staircase, arms already extended towards the railing.

"Eww. If you hear strange noises, don't ask questions, just run," Naruto sniggered. She threw the handsome blond a glare but giggled nonetheless.

Only the soft thumping of her boots against the carpet could be heard as she padded towards the master room. The door was ajar so she pushed it with her palm and called out to the darkness. "Heyyy! Mom? Dad?...Anybody awake?"

A quick check around the room revealed that there were no occupants other than her. Quickly, with unexplained hysteria, she ran back out into the hall. The sound that had drawn her attention to the hallway bathroom was a faint thumping.

"Mom? Are you locked in?" Sakura, feeling even more panicked than before, she yanked the door knob from the door and threw the twisted piece of metal on the ground.

Behind her, she could hear Sasuke and Naruto bounding up the stairs, calling for her to stop at once. Even if she wanted to – it was far too late.

The door groaned and then swept to the side when Sakura pounded it with her fist.

She screamed.

From a rope of some kind, her mother swung back and forth, partly because of her own body weight and because of the large bay window that was left completely open to blow in gusts of wintry air.

The smell hit her dead on – death and bile. She was in shock. She had to be. Her limbs and her mind just weren't matching up. It was like one of those bad dreams where she would try to run but everything would happen so _slowly_.

And she couldn't get to her mother fast enough. Her mother – pink hair plastered to her face and shoulders, mouth slack, lines of blood trailing her clothes, eyes wide – swung again.

Sakura reached and tumbled but was knocked into the opposite direction. "Let me go!" The pink haired medic screamed or at least she thought she did. She didn't know what was happening anymore.

"No," Sasuke growled as he fought to keep hold of her. Never had he ever faced her immense strength but now it was taking all of him just to keep her down. "Dobe! Help me."

In seconds, Sakura felt the pressure of Naruto's chakra join Sasuke's. "God, she's so _strong_!"

But the fight was leaving her anyways so it was a mute point. Her mother was…dead. Had she been tortured? Or had she just been left to struggle from the ceiling with the chair kicked out from underneath her?

"My mom…" She tried weakly but the tears overtook her words.

"I know, baby, I know," Naruto crooned into her ear. Carefully, she felt him release her when he was sure she wasn't going to bolt. She heard his footsteps trail off into the near distance, possibly into the guest bedroom.

He returned, though Sakura dared not look up, and whispered something in the Uchiha's ears. And despite his effort to keep his tone hushed, she heard his words as clearly as if they had been screamed at her. "I found her father…or what was left of him."

Sakura moaned, and then shoved as hard as she could on Sasuke's muscled chest. He stumbled backwards, shocked, and Sakura gripped the carpet as her previous meal ascended through her throat.

When time came to mean something again and the numbness started to morph into something deeper, darker – she noticed that they were not alone. Apparently she had been so out of it - she had missed the Hokage's arrival and the swarm of jounin that flanked her.

"Sakura? I promise you that when we find these monsters, they will be dealt with accordingly," Tsunade promised. It took Sakura several moments to realize that Tsunade had been talking to her for quite some time.

Was she really that deeply shocked?

"It's time," Something in the Hokage's tone demanded her attention. Sakura felt Sasuke's arms around her tighten and she suddenly knew that he was well informed about what she was going to say. "…For you to know about that missing year and a half that you were comatose."

* * *

_TBC_

* * *

A/N: Hello everyone! Surmise is back on track and more creative than ever. This chapter had been finished quite some time ago but my laptop was getting fixed from a virus. The horror! Anyways, I know that this chapter was really angsty but it all serves a greater purpose. Next chapter will be up quick. And then maybe three more and this story is finished. All these loose ties are coming together. Thanks for the reviews and please continue to stick with me. _Conceiving With You_ will be updated when I finish this story so that I can devote my full attention to it.

All of your questions will be answered in these last few chapters, the most popular being: Why Genma, of all characters? How exactly does the binding jutsu work and what is the extent of its abilities? What is Root's main goal? Who's_ really_ behind this? What happened while Sakura was in a coma? Why is Sasuke being such a coward? And where the hell is Kakashi? LOL.

Surmise


	14. Regressed

_A/N: Just a small author's note before you continue. This chapter might be confusing for some because it involves several key scenes one after another. It should be noted that italics stand for memories and normal script is present time. Thanks! And Enjoy. :)_

__

* * *

_Chapter Fourteen_

_Regressed_

_

* * *

_

They'd taken her to the hospital and then to a very discreet room which even Sakura had not known existed. An ANBU guard carried her – her body still partially frozen from shock.

After an hour or so of being checked for injuries, Tsunade found nothing wrong with her outside of a broken rib which was caused by the force of Sasuke's hold. The blonde woman helped pull a threadlike hospital gown over her head and then aided her in walking back to the bed.

"Now just lie back, like that, and try to ease the tension from your mind," The pink-haired woman could feel the weight of Tsunade's chakra pressing down on her. It soothed her muscles and helped lessen the stress. "In a few moments, Sasuke is going to show you a memory, alright?"

She had not heard them before, but she could feel her worried teammates posted on both side of the bed.

"Why can't you just tell me instead? I hate it when I have to live through someone else's past," Sakura asked, the nervousness pooling in her stomach.

Above her, she saw Tsunade share a look with Naruto and Sasuke. "What?" Sakura asked faintly.

Sasuke was the first to speak. "You have to see this for yourself. Telling you would waste time and we don't have much of that. And as for living through someone else's past…you won't have to. These won't be my memories, Sakura. These will be _yours_."

Her heart stopped for the second time that day and that same dreadful feeling resurfaced. "…Are you telling me th-that…_you have been keeping my memories from me_?" She did not even recognize her own voice. It was borderline hysterical.

But it made sense. Not once had she actually inquired about the abilities of the seal. Besides being able to bring back a person from the brink of death, bonding two individuals, and sharing an intense emotional and psychological connection – what else could it do?

"It was for your own good…" Tsunade began, her amber eyes serious.

"Just show me what you have to. I'm done talking Hokage-sama," Sakura cut in. Her voice had been cold and Tsunade's eyes had hardened over.

She closed her eyes and tried to ready her body for the impact of a thousand recollections.

Standing beside his orange clad friend, Sasuke blinked and let his Sharingan spin into place. Slowly – he pressed a finger to Sakura's forehead and let her rightful memories flow into position.

With the Hokage and her ex-teammates at her side – Sakura was pulled under by an invisible throng of surging hands.

* * *

At first…she drifted.

And then suddenly, reminiscent of a burst of sunlight over a dark horizon, there were a million colors. It took Sakura seconds to realize that these were in fact her memories soaring by. They fluttered past her eyelids like a cyclone of multicolored butterflies.

After several moments the colors began to warp into objects as they slowed their pace. She could glimpse herself in a few of them, her parents, friends, and teammates. And one memory jumped out at her. It was the night of the invasion and she was helping at the hospital when the first wave of attacks occurred.

Once she had realized the nature of the situation, Tsunade had grabbed her and led her to a safe zone overlooking the village. That was where she had first accepted her mission of receding Kyuubi. Sakura watched herself run through the village, head ducked, and arms swinging. She watched as she finally found Naruto and how her body curved when he shoved his hand practically through her chest.

She could see how fast Sasuke had arrived. He looked colder. Older somehow – although he had been barely twenty at the time. She watched how he saved her and the actual ritual for the sealing jutsu had gone down.

But it was so strange to be watching it from a different angle. It was like she was watching a silent movie play before her eyes on one enormous television screen. She wasn't living through it. She was just watching.

And then finally that memory faded from view. As the blackness crept up again, she could still see Sasuke holding her broken and burned body in the moonlight overhead. He was surrounded by ANBU, Naruto, Kakashi, and Tsunade. Flames from all sides flickered around the scene – glowing like orange dancers as they blazed through rubble and dead bodies.

Without warning and all at once – the invisible hands from before dragged her down into what seemed like oblivion. But it was brutal this time.

They pulled her so deep, that resurfacing would be impossible.

* * *

_Voices drifted in and out of focus and range. Light and dark – back and forth. It was like a multitude of bees whose buzzing was simultaneously tiresome and terrifying._

_She tried to resurface from the blackness but something was pushing her down. It was as if another body was lying on top of her, molded to her skin by some means. Now that she was aware of the entity holding her down – other senses started to become clear._

_Her hearing had increased and the buzzing was starting to morph into something akin to speech._

_Her sight was returning, the blackness blending into a mellow gray._

_She smelled…smoke._

_She could taste…blood._

_And she could feel…flames._

_She was burning! Had she died and gone to hell somehow? She tried to remember her last moment of life and that did not help one bit. Her last memory had been of Naruto and how he had shoved his hand right through her chest and how that had burned as well._

_Yes, she was dead. And this was hell. The pressure was holding her down so much that she could not even open her mouth to scream. So, she had no choice but to accept the pain and blister on._

_Slowly, and after some time, the pressure lifted and she was in control. Using all of her pent up effort, she opened her eyes._

_And for the first time…Haruno Sakura had awoken from her coma._

_The first thing she realized was that she was connected to many tubes. Sitting up felt like the pain from a three hour run but she made it anyways. She was in a colorless hospital room and the voices were coming from beyond the door to her left._

_Actually, people were screaming. And then Sakura came to realize that they were screaming because her room was on fire. To her intense surprise – this did not seem to bother her in the least._

_It was comforting somehow. The fire seemed - familiar. It felt like home. A glance down at her hands revealed that they were…clawed. This too did not faze her._

_Slowly, she rose to her feet just as two forms throttled into the room. Instantly her eyes snapped to the two bodies that had startled her. They were male and dressed in jounin attire._

"_That's Haruno?" The less built of the two asked. _

"_Raido!"The other male hissed. Sakura's interest peaked as she glanced over his form. He was attractive, with a shock full of chocolate hair on his head, and some tiny object tucked in the corner of his mouth. "Kyuubi's chakra has overcome her. Alert the Godiame at once!"_

_His companion, who the brunet had called Raido, backed towards the door and with a reluctant look towards his partner, vanished back into the hallway._

_Now that they were alone, Sakura stared at him with untrusting eyes. Something in her head kept telling her that he meant her harm. Enemy – her brain chanted. But his eyes were friendly._

"_I'm Genma. And I know that we haven't formally met before but you must remember me. I'm friends with your sensei, Kakashi," he spoke softly as he inched towards her._

_She recognized him now that his words brought memories with them. Her head was throbbing however. And she wanted answers. "Why am I alive?" She found herself asking none too gently._

"_Aren't you all sugar and spice…"Genma muttered to himself. But then he glanced at her face and answered her directly. "Uchiha Sasuke saved you."_

"_Impossible," she hissed. Though it was more to her self than anything._

"_No," he stated as he walked ever closer. "He returned the night the Akatsuki waged war. His companions all died, one by one. Just recently the sole female, the snarky red-head, of his team passed away. She got in the way of Uzumaki's chakra and it left her burned…"_

"_I don't care about his companions! I just want to know how I am still breathing! How long has it been?" Outside and beyond her lace curtains - she could make out the silhouette of the moon._

"_It's been a month since the invasion if that's what you mean. Why don't you just get back on the bed and we can wait for the Hokage, hm?" Despite her not wanting to acknowledge it, he was awfully charismatic. _

"_I'm fine where I am thanks."_

"_I know," he whispered. And something by the tone of his voice had her wanting to pull her thin hospital gown tighter around her form._

"_What are you doing here anyways?" Sakura asked. It surprised her to see that the flames had been extinguished from the room courtesy of a water jutsu by Genma's hands._

"_Raido, the one that was here earlier, and I guard your room in shifts. I'll have you know it isn't my ideal job."_

_Her attention was instantly drawn to the reflection in the mirror that hung adjacent to her body. The woman in the mirror was odd. She had medium length bright hair. Petal pink. Her eyes though were the oddest thing about her. They were orangey colored…almost red. The pale skin that was exposed because of the thin gown was glowing a faint crimson._

_It took her awhile to realize that she was looking at her self._

"_What's wrong with me?"She whispered, half turned towards the brunet._

"_Kyuubi," Genma whispered._

_She was angry. Furious even. Why was she even alive? What had they done to her? She was some sort of freak now. A freak of nature. He'd said that Kyuubi had something to do with the way she was. And that made sense at least._

_The anger building in her chest was not coming from her. No it was coming from a darker place – something sinister and wicked._

_He must have seen the rage showcased across her face for her stepped forward and reached as if he were about to grab her…_

"_DON'T TOUCH ME!" And before either of them could process her next actions, she had flung a hand out – a clawed Kyuubi chakra-enhanced hand – and he was hurled backwards into the wall._

_The wall dented and cracked up the side and Genma slid to the ground, unmoving. That was the last straw. _

_Whatever was inside of her – Kyuubi or not – it shoved its way into the front seat of her mind leaving her no option but to take the backseat. Sakura, in utter horror, screamed inside her head. Physically, she looked unfazed by the sight of Genma's crumpled and bleeding form._

"_Do not move," a voice commanded from the doorway._

_But she moved anyways, just to see who the speaker was, and was gratified by the sight of one very striking man. He was cold looking with shiny raven hair that stuck out at strange angles and red star-shaoed eyes._

_Sasuke – her mental voice echoed._

_To his side an equally beautiful female stared at her with a severe expression. "Uchiha, what are you doing?" She questioned, her low blonde pigtails swinging behind her._

_Not sparing her a glance he answered, "Stopping her before she goes on a rampage. Kyuubi's chakra has spread, just as I thought and it won't stop until it consumes her entire psyche."_

"_Then do what you have to."_

_Sakura stared at them with unfeeling eyes as Tsunade bent to help a newly awakened Genma to his feet._

_Sasuke flashed out of focus and in the span of a second he had her within his grip and did not flinch in the least when Kyuubi's chakra seemed to pulse around his skin. An electric blue current snaked around his arm and it seemed to repel the red chakra away._

"_Let me go!" Sakura yelled as she thrashed wildly. Her anger and sudden confusion seemed to fuel the red chakra that seemed to bubble around them both. _

_And then he grabbed her face between both of his palms, nails digging into her cheeks, and looked her dead in the eye._

_Sharingan._

_It hypnotized her into some sort of state which felt as if it were drug induced. Her head felt like it was too heavy for her shoulders and her feet dragged into the white tiles of the floor. Sasuke caught her as she slumped in his arms – limp and lifeless but totally coherent._

"_Did you recede it, boy?" Tsunade questioned as she helped a shaken Genma to the next hospital bed to treat his wounds._

"_For now," he answered coolly. His face betrayed no surprise at what had just transpired. With a swift bend of his knees, he hefted Sakura into the air and placed her softly against her previous bed. "But it will continue to spread throughout her body and mind…eventually it will consume her identity."_

"_Is there any way of slowing the process? Or halting it until we can find a solution?"_

_The Uchiha looked at the Hokage and then at Genma. "A month ago when I saved her life…I suspended her physical state when I sealed in my blood and chakra with hers. I looked for Kyuubi's chakra and it was gone but now I know that my own chakra just masked it temporarily. The only reason her mental state is still in tact is because she has the blood of an Uchiha running through her veins."_

"_She should be honored," Genma murmured although it sounded awfully sarcastic._

_Sasuke shot him a look that was intensified by his spinning eyes. "No…she's cursed. But my chakra will not be enough – potent as it is – she needs more…"_

_There was a mild pause before someone spoke. "I'll do it," Shiranui Genma whispered._

"_There's no going back," The dark-haired avenger replied impersonally. "It's called the Shoumon Seal – forbidden. In principle the seal has been incomplete but it allows for a third-party which completes the jutsu. Sakura has been exposed to something that goes against the natural laws and that is Kyuubi. When you are bonded to her, it will be a lifelong fight to suppress it. So does the offer still stand?"_

"_You did it didn't you without any second thoughts? I'm strong enough that it won't bother me and besides…she's too young to have to go through this alone," Genma whispered._

_Finally Tsunade spoke. "After you complete the seal, I want you to also suppress her memories. If she knows about this when she awakes…it will drive her insane."_

"_You want me to let her live a lie?"_

"_Yes."_

"_So be it, she'll hate me anyways," The Uchiha replied, not in the slightest bothered by the prospect. "I'll be forced to push her back into a coma or else this will cause serious trauma to her brain."_

"_Uchiha, I'm ready. This is the least I can do for the kid," Genma murmured._

"_Or are you motivated by other reasons?" And Uchiha Sasuke looked pointedly at Sakura and then back at the brunet man._

"_Just finish the seal."_

_

* * *

_Gasping, Sakura reemerged from the veil of illusions cast by Sharingan. Almost immediately her teammates hands were on her chest pushing her back onto the railed bed.

"You," Sakura managed to say through her wheezes. "Stole my memories from me! You couldn't even at least tell me that I had actually woken from my coma before!"

Sasuke said nothing, opting instead to share a look with Tsunade. Only Naruto offered words of comfort to her. "I'm so sorry Sakura-chan. I only learned about this a little while ago and baa-chan swore me to secrecy! And I never meant to…put you through everything I had to go through."

"It's fine you idiot, I just want to hear from these _two_."

Tsunade arms crossed over her ample chest and she seated herself directly in front of the pink-haired girl's bed. "We did what had to be done. Sakura, you were in no physical or mental shape to handle Kyuubi's chakra like that. You saw what it almost did - the fire! The pain! You should be thanking Sasuke, he now has to exert physical effort to make sure it stays receded. And Shiranui also…"

"But Genma never told me-"

"He was ordered not to," Sasuke finally cut in. "We decided that this would be too much for you to take in at once and it would just be better for everyone if it was not brought to the light."

Sakura cut her eyes at him and heaved a giant breath. "Better for everyone else and not for me."

Naruto rubbed her shoulder and then stood. "I have to go check in on Hinata and I think that Sakura needs her rest." He kissed her forehead gingerly and Sakura offered him a small smile. "Which means that we should all leave her be."

Tsunade looked like she wanted to stay and say more but she eventually gave in. Walking towards her bedside, the blonde woman ruffled Sakura's head and left for the door. Sasuke turned to follow suit, but was halted by a strong hold on his wrist.

"Sakura let me go."

Her voice was even and determined when she replied, "No, I want to talk to you."

"I'll be back to see you tomorrow," he said, black eyes taking in her misshapen form.

"Liar."

He continued to stare at her with the same blank expression. "I promise."

She fought the need to snort. "The promise of an avenger doesn't mean much…not unless its one to kill you. I know you have goals."

"I don't have any goals, idiot." But even as he said the words, she could feel the hate radiating off of him.

"Yes you do. I felt it tonight. I felt the hate and determination. You are going after those Root nin, aren't you?"

He chose to neither confirm nor deny her claims and instead tried to pry her fingers from his arm. Taking his momentary distraction to her advantage - Sakura applied some more chakra than necessary to her fingers and pulled.

Sakura had the satisfaction of watching his coal colored eyes widen in surprise before he was helpless to fall into her.

She caught her lips against his, waiting for him to pull back like he had been injected with venom. But he never did.

Instead his fingers twirled through her vibrant tresses and pulled her closer. There was something desperate about his actions - the way his mouth pressed into hers and the way his fingers were borderline rough. When they finally broke apart, he pulled back to look her in the eyes. Sakura, without thinking stared back.

"Sleep," was all he breathed against her lips.

She didn't even have a chance, his Sharingan was already in place and like a vortex of black stars - she was sucked into another unfathomable slumber.

* * *

She awoke slowly, her sense of time distorted. Her head rang slightly and her body ached. God, she was _so_ tired of being put under a Sharingan induced sleep. She was going to kill Sasuke…

_Sasuke._

That tug or emotional pull that stretched between the two and linked them together like permanent metal shackles was weak. Barely there. Something had happened while she had been unconscious, that much was evident to her.

The cherry-haired woman shot upwards while pushing both feet onto the cool ceramic tiles. It stung through her skin and with an annoyed puff of breath, Sakura realized her feet had fallen asleep.

Ignoring the pain, Sakura sprinted to the door and out into the hallway. It was totally dark except for the occasional overhead lamp. Which were all flickering oddly. Her gut started to twist with sick anticipation.

It was strange how no medics were in sight but it was also better for Sakura because she had no intention of staying in the hospital anyways. She reached the exit with no obstacles and burst out into the cold streets.

She shivered but pressed on. Now, she didn't exactly _know_ where to look first. Sasuke could be in a number of places and if his last actions were any indication - he wouldn't be home.

With her head ducked, Sakura darted to her left and down an empty street with no houses just closed businesses. She tried to ignore the worst case scenarios that kept flashing before her eyes and focus on finding him before he did something reckless.

Her running came to a halt when noticed something far more strange than just a seemingly abandoned street.

Her breath was actually visible. Small white puffs drifted in the air and then faded after a couple of seconds. Now that she was aware of it - it was _**really**_ cold. And she was ninety-nine percent sure it had not been that cold when she had first started out on her escapade.

Following her gut, Sakura turned around. Flanking all possible exits, indistinct figures stood erect. They all bore porcelain masks depicting various animals - each fiercer than the next.

Gulping, Sakura wavered but did not flee. She was almost positive that wherever they had come from, Sasuke was surely there.

Two bodies stepped forward - the taller of the two in the lead. "Sakura," The voice was male. And seductive. With a sinking feeling in her chest - Sakura realized it was the same man from the convenience store. "You look a little cold."

She chose not to answer and instead fluxed chakra into her fingertips.

He stalked closer. Once he was about a foot away from her, he spoke again. "Has death changed you? I sincerely hope so."

What was he talking about?

"It's a vicious cycle…one that I hope to break. It's a shame, really, that your parents could not be spared."

Something cracked inside her and she lunged forward intent on stopping his next heartbeat. At once, the second figure that had stepped forward, now had her in their hold.

"Ah, there it is, that spark in your eyes. _I love it_," The man behind the mask crooned.

Her captor still held her fast and Sakura realized that he too was male. Her back was crushed against his body and she could feel the contortions of the muscles on his stomach ripple with each movement.

The man stepped forward and pushed a stray hair out of her face. "It's amazing what harbors behind that pretty little face of yours…something not so pretty. And I want it."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him.

"Get the blood and detain her," He instructed as he walked back towards the fleet of ANBU. "No mistakes, Sai."

Sakura literally threw up in her mouth at the realization of who was holding onto her. The betrayal. It rippled through her veins and stung at the corners of her eyes.

Sai, whose face was hidden behind the mask, pulled out one of his carving knifes and sliced it across her shoulder. There was no time to feel pain as the swift hit to the sensitive spot on her neck knocked her into oblivion.

* * *

TBC

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the wait kiddies. You see, this story is finally wrapping up and the villains are stepping into the limelight. I'm not too happy with this chapter but my sister loved it. LOL. If you have any questions, just pm me. I received a lot of those last chapter but I only answer questions that need clearing up not spoilers. Sorry but that wouldn't be fair to everyone. Cheers!

P.S : Someone actually guessed early on that Sakura was hosting Kyuubi's chakra and I'm much too lazy to look to see who right now. But Kudos to whoever it was!

Surmise


	15. Confined

A/N: Okay after taking the necessary steps after part of this story was plagiarized, I thought about it for a moment and considered everything. I was a little ticked at the injustice of it all and I may have been too hasty with my words but I was **definitely** going to update. Thank you to all those who were concerned, sorry to keep you on edge like that. You might have gotten an alert for two new chapters, to those of you who didn't know about the situation, and those were just author notes. **This is the real chapter fifteen.**

Now in my haste, I named the author which was something that I probably should not have done. Some of you already know who it is but I will not be naming her from this point onward. This was pointed out to me by a reviewer but by all accounts I was just _really_ ticked off. She went back and edited out my work. Now don't hold this against her! Continue to read and review her stories, the lesson has been learned and I just hope that in the future proper discretion and accreditation is used.

* * *

_Chapter Fifteen_

_Confined_

_

* * *

_

Thick, wet drops of some sort of liquid pitter pattered across the side of Sakura's cheek. It seemed to draw her back into consciousness. Slowly, she gathered her bearings.

Upon reaching full awareness or something remotely close to it, she found that her body absolutely ached all over. "Ugh," she grunted as she pushed herself up from what appeared to be concrete. The part of her face that had been pressed against the hard surface for god knows how long, throbbed.

The other half of her face that she had not been laying on and that was exposed, was still partially wet from some sort of water leak. From what Sakura could tell, she was in a variation of a holding cell that smelled of earth and mildew.

It was almost entirely black as pitch in her small cramped space but there was just enough light to make out the undersized door that led out into another room.

Sakura fixed her body into a more comfortable position and tried to flex her limbs. They screamed in protest, yet she pushed on, determined to get her body going again.

Three things were very clear to her.

From what that masked ANBU had told her - she was now the chief objective and it sounded like Sasuke had taken a back seat in their plans.

Sasuke was near her. The seal, which she could feel pulsing against her chest, had started to give off that same magnet like pull she felt every time she was around him.

And someone was walking her way.

She could hear very fleeting footsteps, so light and delicate that they could be a child's. But she knew better. Swiftly, the small door was pushed aside and a flood of torch light washed into her small cell. Involuntarily, Sakura cringed away, her hypersensitive eyes adjusting.

"Put this on," A definite feminine voice purred from the entry. She was masked, whoever it was, and was holding an unpretentious pale colored gown.

When Sakura was too frozen to move, the female stocked forward and snatched off Sakura's old dirtied hospital gown and shoved the new one over her head. "Can't have you all filthy for the big finale, can we?"

The green-eyed medic said nothing, choosing instead to plan her next move.

So she had found Sasuke. Now what? Sakura sized the female up with her eyes and she looked pretty much like a regular ANBU. Nothing special anyways. Tough but not unbeatable.

No, she couldn't afford to attack the female when she was really the only chance she had to get to Sasuke. Sakura let her body be dragged out into the dimly lit hallway and through some sort of archway.

It was damp and it stank of rotting flesh. She inwardly swallowed back down stomach bile and tried to memorize the number of turns the female was making. In the end, it was impossible to tell which way was which.

Ultimately they passed through one particularly convoluted archway and Sakura was thrown towards someone's feet.

Glancing up, Sakura was face to face with her coma worker and doctor. Akemi.

"I always knew there was something about you," he started as he waved the masked female off. She bowed and then disappeared through the doorway.

Sakura scoffed at his feet. "I could say the same for you. No wonder you were so keen on trying to unlock the secrets in my head. It makes sense," she hissed defiantly.

He laughed, his grayed face stretching. And then suddenly his skin warped before her eyes and he resembled a strikingly handsome twenty-two year old. "Yes, yes, I know. I fooled you to gain your inner most secrets. Cry me a river." Sakura noted that his aged voice was now a seductive purr.

"…I fooled everyone," he continued, glee in his voice. "…even Tsunade-hime. Oh! I forgot! You two aren't the only ones with exceptional chakra control. I can keep up a fairly good hinge myself."

"I see that," Sakura muttered, eyes still darting around for any sign of Sasuke.

He paced around, enjoying her discomfort. His heels clicked in her face. "Go fetch him," he snapped at two additional men that Sakura had not noticed before.

Sakura waited with baited breath, her knees still digging into the earth. The two men returned, shoulders squared, and carting a lean figure between them. They tossed whoever they were holding directly across from Sakura.

Akemi stalked forward and bent low to his knees. With the speed of a feline, he yanked onto the burlap sack that covered the figure's face.

Sakura gasped when she met a pair of bloodshot mismatched-eyes.

"…Kakashi-sensei?"

* * *

There was only a momentary silence before someone chose to speak again.

"Yes," Akemi drawled, flourishing his arms this way and that. "…He was very high up on our list. I had a team intercept him on his way back from Tea Country some time ago. You see we value rarity here. And Sharingan combined with Kyuubi's chakra is very exceptional."

He shrugged at her and then proceeded to seat himself onto a high backed chair in the center of the room. In front of her, Kakashi stared at her. His mouth was covered with tape and his arms and legs were bound with some sort of rope.

Sakura recognized it as a chakra restraint. One could only wonder how powerful these people really were considering they had brought down one of the most brilliant ninja to have ever lived.

"What are you going to do to him?" She whispered, her words seeming to linger even when her voice faded.

Akemi laughed shortly - though Sakura could find no humor in the situation. "You really are such an enthralling creature young Haruno. I mean why are you so concerned for your teacher when really, you should be worried about what I'm going to do to _you_."

"What of Kakashi?" Sakura insisted. In front of her with his head bowed, Kakashi seemed like another person. Weaker somehow. And that realization left her with raw panic.

Akemi smiled slowly. "He's going to watch," And another figure was hauled into the high arched room and dropped to the side of Sakura. The seal against her chest started to throb uncontrollably. "…as his two favorite students are destroyed."

With the seal against her chest feeling like it was bound to tear itself open at any moment - she found it hard to concentrate on much else. But there was no mistaking the person who had just been thrown down next to her.

Sasuke.

* * *

Gradually, Akamaru's barking slowed, and Inuzuka Kiba lowered his nose to the ground. He sniffed it a couple of times and then made a disgusted face. He raised a finger to his ear piece and pressed the small commute button. "Hokage-sama…we found blood. And lots of it."

"_Is it Sakura's?"_

He sniffed the sample that had been given to him and then the trail of deep burgundy that seemed to stretch on across the pavement. "Definitely."

There was a small pause before he could hear Tsunade's husky tone drift into range. _"How much?"_

"Enough to leave a solid trail. If I didn't know any better it's almost as if they intended to leave it. It's still fresh."

* * *

She was begging. And it hadn't even occurred to her that she was. But she was crying - pleading - _screaming_ for him to stop. Yet Akemi did not stop. Cruelly, he twisted his blade into Uchiha Sasuke's shoulder again and again.

Sasuke showed no sign of his pain but that mattered very little. She could feel it - just as much as if it were her own. There was a river of sweat across his brow that dripped into his eyes and drenched his bloodied chest.

"Please…"

He turned halfway - his handsome face alight with a polite kindness. "Then release it."

"_I don't even know how!"_

"Get angry," he demanded seriously. "It shouldn't be too hard considering that your perfect little life just crumbled at your feet. No parents. No truths. Just lies. Doesn't that make you mad?"

It did make her mad. Unbelievably so. Yet she could feel _nothing_ besides that. She remembered how Kyuubi's chakra had felt inside her from her stolen memories. It had been untainted ferocity. And she just was not feeling it.

But she had to fake something. The torture was taking its toll on Sasuke's body even if he showed no signs of it. Not to mention that she felt every twist of the blade as if it were her getting stabbed repeatedly. If only she could get his mind off of Kyuubi…

"Why are you doing this?" She finally managed to rasp out. Sakura could see how her question put a slight frown in Akemi's newly young and handsome face.

"Because I need it. We need it," he answered, the thick seductive undertone of his voice caressing the very air.

"For what?"

And Akemi swiped his blade across Sasuke's other, unhurt shoulder. He grunted but continued to stay silent. "To get back what _he,"_ And he spat on the dark-haired Uchiha with vehemence. "Stole from us! Our leader and redeemer - Danzo."

She stopped breathing. Danzo was dead. Sasuke had killed him. She had saw it through Sasuke's own eyes. That was the sole reason he had returned to Konoha in the first place - it had been to kill Danzo! And then of course he had involuntarily found her broken and dying body and had chosen to help her after he had gained his revenge on Danzo by snapping his neck.

But what was Akemi getting at? He needed Kyuubi's chakra to revive the dead? Was that even possible? However, Sakura thought with panic, she was still alive despite her near death two years before.

And then it made sense.

"You," she started when it dawned on her but Sasuke beat her to it.

For the first time since she had seen him in the hospital, Sasuke managed to speak. "You used the Shoumon Seal. And you bound yourself to him," The Uchiha coughed out, bits of blood trailing from his mouth. "So he's still alive." And something in Sasuke's eyes darkened. Whatever it was - Sakura did not like it.

Akemi smiled. "Of course. We watched silently that night when you sought your revenge and "killed" him. And we also watched when you saved Miss Haruno and because our master was still alive, barely mind you, I copied the seal."

Sasuke laughed - very darkly.

"Of course…he's dying isn't he? That seal wasn't enough to sustain him and you need more. Something infinite and just as forbidden as the technique. Kyuubi's chakra."

The smirk from Akemi's face ran clean and Sakura watched as he clenched his gloved fingers. "Danzo, our master, is in fact slipping away. And if he dies as do I."

Sakura gasped and then stared at Sasuke.

"Yes,"Akemi continued. "If the original creator of the seal dies so does the bearer. And vice versa. But if a third party of the seal is included, he or she remains alive. And if they choose to - they can give up their life to save the first two from death. That's how it works. Unfortunately, there is no third party included in the seal and its much too late to do so. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Uchiha-san didn't tell you?"

No, he hadn't told her.

Sasuke stared back - though his eyes were filled with an emotion she just couldn't place.

Akemi jerked his knife from Sasuke's shoulder and kicked his foot into it. Helpless - Sasuke grunted and fell back against the earth. Breifly, Sakura wondered why he was so powerless. Had they stolen his chakra or was Sasuke up to something? She sincerely hoped the latter was true.

"I can see that this just is not working and that a more radical method needs to be used. Young Sai," Akemi called and a shadowed figure stepped forward. "Come motivate your old teammate. Stimulate some anger…"

Sai stopped dead in front of her. His fingers swiftly grabbed her left shoulder and jerked her upright. His other hand unsheathed his faithful carving knife that he used for his many artistic ventures.

Akemi's seductive voice difted into focus. "Carve me a _masterpiece."_

* * *

_TBC_

* * *

A/N: Yes this is a little short but the next update will be quick and then one more chapter and that's it folks. This story will officially be wrapped up. Le sigh. It makes me sad and also a little happy. Thanks for reading and please review! Also please don't be sad that this story is coming to an end ( or am I getting ahead of myself? Lol) I have a new fic on the way. It's a Sasu/Saku and it's very dark, angsty, sexual, and drama packed. Everything I live for. LOL.

Surmise


	16. Destroyed

Previously:

_Sai stopped dead in front of her. His fingers swiftly grabbed her left shoulder and jerked her upright. His other hand unsheathed his faithful carving knife that he used for his many artistic ventures._

_Akemi's seductive voice difted into focus. "Carve me a masterpiece."_

* * *

_Chapter Sixteen_

_Destroyed_

* * *

Sai's grip on her shoulder did not let up as she stared into his masked face. The reality of the situation dropped like deadweight into her gut and it left her feeling outright pathetic. He - her own teammate - was betraying her. At _least_ when her last teammate betrayed her, he had left before the damage could sink in.

But he was going to mutilate her.

"Sai," Sakura whispered, a flurry of damp pink locks falling into her face when he jerked her again. This time his knife sliced across the skin of her arm, tearing a thin scarlet line across the exposed flesh. She groaned in pain and he leaned close enough to kiss her neck.

And then with a very deliberate swipe of his wrist, he slashed at her other shoulder.

She cried out, her shoulder gushing an absurd amount of life liquid.

In front of her, Kakashi jerked forward as if he meant to lunge in front of her to take the blunt of her pain, yet his constraints kept him locked painfully in place.

"Stop," Sasuke hissed, his voice so low and dark that everyone in the room spared him a glance. "She doesn't have it." Sakura gasped and Akemi jerked him upward roughly by his shirt.

"What are you saying, boy?"

Sasuke stared at him with a look of such strong contempt that Sakura was sure, even in her ridiculous amount of pain, intimidated even Akemi. The Uchiha closed his eyes and then blinked them open again in the next instant. A vortex of black stars spiraled together in his outer pupil which were bathed in the light of deep red irises. "How are you still able to access Sharingan? You don't have any chakra…"

"Tell him Sai," Sasuke continued as if Akemi hadn't spoken. "Tell him how Sakura doesn't possess Kyuubi's chakra and who _really_ has it."

Sai turned halfway to face the two and smiled his odd, eye-crinkling smile. "_I_ have it."

"But Genma -" Sakura sputtered.

"Never had it," Sasuke finished coolly.

No one moved. Sakura half expected Akemi to drop Sasuke and run full blown towards Sai, however he looked just as astounded as she was.

"You see," began Sasuke as his hand, which had lain against his body at a very unusual angle almost as if it were dislocated, grabbed Akemi's hand which was holding him by the collar. With an air of annoyance around him, Sasuke flung him into the next wall. "I always suspected it was you even if you had everyone else fooled. That was why the dobe and I always followed Sakura to her little sessions with you."

Akemi smiled his terrifyingly polite smile. "I realize much doesn't get by those eyes of yours."

"Not morons like you anyways," The Uchiha replied rudely. "It didn't take much for me to figure out that you guys are cowards - only attacking when the victim is weak. So I had the Hyuuga girl seal my tenketsu and sure enough like the predictable dogs you are…you came sniffling for blood."

"But you just broke free…"

Sasuke stared at him indifferently. "_I_ don't need my chakra to kill you."

Akemi applauded, pleasantly pleased. "Then what will you do now, Uchiha Sasuke? Kill me like you just mentioned single-handedly with no chakra? And not to mention you are out numbered and ranked."

This time Sai cut in. "No ones coming for you Akemi-Senpai. When you kindly relieved me of my duties after we brought Sakura here, I simply instructed for no interruptions after Sasuke was to be brought in." With that being said he released Sakura and made an about face toward Akemi.

"And as for Sasuke killing you…" Sai laughed shortly - his eyes crinkling good naturedly. "He's going to take Sakura and leave. _I'm_ going to kill you."

Akemi said something but Sakura had tuned him out momentarily. She was distracted by the throbbing in her chest. The seal - which formed a perfect triangle - burned endlessly. A gentle touch to her side had her glancing up. Sasuke towered over her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he hefted her up in his arms with the utmost care. "…For everything."

Sakura felt her eyes prickle and then glanced worriedly around his muscled shoulder to see Sai. Sasuke started moving towards the archway and just as he was about to make their escape, Akemi called after them.

"Don't think Uchiha's forgotten my words, Sakura! Vengeance is more powerful than love. I would know."

His words haunted her as he and Sai disappeared from view.

"What about Sai and Kakashi?" She breathed.

Sasuke glanced down at her and continued to keep up his healthy pace. Even without much chakra and in the darkness of the hall, he was still able to run fast, albeit slower than his usual speed. "There's a team of shinobi on their way here as we speak." Sure enough, she felt the familiar swell of chakra approaching, although Naruto's was the strongest and…darkest.

"I can walk," The pink -haired medic finally groaned. "And how do you know where to go?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and after several moments of silence, answered her in one breath. "This is one of Orochimaru's long forgotten testing lairs where he experimented on whoever he took a liking to. I can still smell him…"

"But you've never been here before?"

"No, but I can still see infinitesimal traces of his chakra all around here. It makes it easy to follow his steps towards an exit," Sasuke replied, the black tomoes of his Sharingan spiraling inwards and out, forming odd inky colored stars.

But it looked as if they were going deeper into the tunnels instead of towards the surface, Sakura thought. Then again, she could just be letting her pessimistic attitude get the best of her.

In spite of her mental reassurance, she still could not shake the foreboding feeling that he wasn't telling her the _whole _truth.

Just as she could make out a narrow window of moonlight spill in from down one of the murky corridors, Sasuke slowed his pace. He came to a stop just at the mouth of the entrance to what Sakura presumed was the exit and set her down so that her head rested against the wall.

"You're not leaving with me, are you?" Sakura whispered. Above her, Sasuke stared at her with a look of slight affliction, his red eyes flickering to black for the tiniest of moments.

Akemi's last words still rang loud and clear_. "Don't think Uchiha's forgotten my words, Sakura! Vengeance is more powerful than love. I would know." _

"I think you already know the answer," Sasuke whispered back.

"But you heard Sai already say that he's going to kill Akemi and you already weakened him. And you know what the seal does. If Sai kills Akemi then Danzo is dead for sure," Sakura tried to reason, her voice shrill.

"I'm not leaving his life to chance anymore. Not when I've been existing in this same village for almost two years with the man that took _everything_ from me," he whispered harshly. With that being said, he turned on his heel and began walking in the opposite direction. "Naruto is a few minutes away…he'll find you."

She tried to call out to him, but her voice just was not coming. Her legs and arms weren't moving very well and Sakura suspected Sasuke had used his hypnotizing Kekkei Genkai on her.

So she waited.

When she felt that she could take it no longer, a throng of voices approached.

"Sakura!" Two voices chorused together.

Genma and Naruto rushed to her side - each one taking her by the arm. In front of them, she could see that Hinata had led the way. The raven haired beauty was accompanied by several men of the Inuzuka clan, Neji, Tenten, and Shino.

In the very front stood her mentor and really the only mother she had left - Tsunade.

"Move, you fools!" The blonde woman bellowed as she shoved her way past. In seconds, Sakura felt the pain in both of her arms recede and the blood flow stopped altogether. "Sakura? Are you alright? I see they sealed your tenketsu somehow."

"I'm fine," The pink-haired woman lied smoothly. "I just need to get to Sasuke…"

Naruto and Tsunade glanced at each other.

"Where is the teme?" Her best friend asked.

"He…" _Left to go avenge his family. _"…we got separated."

Genma made an enraged sound. "You mean he left you here? Son of a bitch!"

"I told you we got separated-"

"And you expect us to buy that?" He said, his brown eyes sincerely worried.

Sakura ignored him and turned her eyes on her mentor. "Shishou they have Kakashi-sensei and Sai is in there with Akemi. It was him all along, Shishou. I suspect Yamato-sensei is here some where as well which is probably why Sai is on the war path…"

Tsunade nodded. "Everyone head to where the chakra is the strongest. As for you Genma, I want you to take Sakura to the location we discussed. I'm not sure if anywhere else is exactly safe."

"Gladly," Genma agreed. His arms wound around her to carry her bridal style yet Sakura refused. She'd had enough of that for one day. "I can walk!"

He eyed her speculatively and then sighed. "If you must…" And she leaned on him for support until the rest of the team disappeared down the hall.

"Genma?"

"Hm?"

"Take me to Sasuke."

He sighed and there was something heartbreaking in his eyes. "I was afraid you were going to ask me that."

"I have to."

"I know."

She leaned against his strong support as he helped her limp into the darkness. The corridor seemed to slant downwards and that itself seemed to make the darkness that much more imposing. The pair continued their descent into nothingness when Genma whispered quietly.

"You know, this is the third time he's left you…"

Sakura peered at him from the corner of her eye. "The second time was him trying to be noble."

"Yeah well, he didn't exactly plan on coming back to you, did he?" He snapped. And then his eyes softened when he saw the hurt in her own green irises.

"Look. I'm sorry its just I hate seeing you like this. All broken up and well quite frankly, an emotional mess, over some fucked up boy who cares more about seeking his revenge than a beautiful woman who'd go through hell and back for him."

"How did you know?" She asked.

"What? That Danzo wasn't dead? I suspected he was alive and that could be the only reason he would abandon you in the middle of nowhere."

"He didn't abandon me," she insisted angrily. _He just left me to go finish the task he started years ago._

"Oh yeah? Then you really are blind sighted, Sakura."

"What's it matter to you anyways!" She retorted, her tone snappish.

"Because I love you!" He screamed back.

They stared at each other for several minutes, heat still embedded in both of their gazes. And then she actually _heard _what he said.

"Genma I-" Sakura could not finish her sentence. Her vision went from good to terrible in the span of a second. Microscopic dots lined the air in front of her, causing her eyes to swim with tears. Her head was ringing and Genma's lips were moving yet there was no sound.

In her right side, she felt a sharp pain. Almost like the time when she had been impaled by Sasori of the Akatsuki all those years ago…

That thought had her glancing down in panic and sure enough, she was gushing blood like a mad man. Hurriedly, she tried to heal the wound yet it kept tearing itself open every time she came close to closing it, each time more painful than the next.

"The seal…"She breathed.

Something had gone terribly wrong. Either Akemi had gotten the better of Sai or Sasuke had fallen to Danzo.

She knew which one it was going to be. Without asking, Genma swung her up in his arms and ran at break neck speed down the hallway. Finally, at the very end there was a fork in the path, and Genma chose to go left.

It seemed to have been the right choice for they reached a small patch of light at the end of that hallway and a door. Genma kicked it open and the first thing they both saw was a handsome man that bore a strange resemblence to Danzo.

It took Sakura seconds to realize that it was in fact Danzo, although much younger. He appeared to be around Genma's age and just as good looking. Behind him was a bed with a small monitor and various tubes and wires.

And then her eyes deviated to the floor where Sasuke kneeled, a katana lodged through his right side. Blood was everywhere on the floor…

Genma lunged at Danzo before any of them could think and Sakura was forced to hit the hard earth. She struggled to sit up but she could hear everything.

"Uchiha is mine!" She heard Danzo growl. Sakura noted that even his voice was noticeably younger.

Just as she regained balance, she saw Sasuke hit the earth, half of his face pressed against the ground. The side of his face that was visible allowed for one of his eyes to be seen.

The pain in the seal itself was beyond anything that she had ever felt. It left her gasping for air and the wound in her side was starting to bleed out way too much. She was light headed and she fell against the ground too, her body almost completely drained.

She was in so much pain.

Still, she could see Sasuke watching her from his position on the floor as he lay next to her, bleeding out from the same exact spot as she was.

It occurred to her that they were going to die. Together. And she still had not heard the words she had wanted to hear. There were going to be no 'I love yous'. She was going to die knowing that she was always going to be second best.

And yet she couldn't help herself. She reached for him, her hand leaving a bloody smear where it trailed across the damp earth.

It seemed like he was reaching for her too…

And then his chest gave a final jolt as if he had been shocked by his own Kirin and then he remained still. Completely and utterly still. Sakura felt something wet fall from her eye and onto the ground, it was clear unlike much of the blood everywhere. She realized it was a tear.

Above her voices started to fall in and out of focus. Though she could hear a voice that sounded strangely like Sai louder than the rest.

It mattered very little though. She inhaled sharply and exhaled slowly as the darkest eclipse she had ever seen descended on her like the very end of a long movie. With a pang of irony in her head, she realized this was the final chapter for her.

Sakura stared ahead into the oblivion and did not move.

* * *

It was a paradox - really it was. Life was a cycle. That was what everyone was taught from the moment they were old enough to understand. Yet she could make no sense of it. She was clearly alive. Even though she _clearly _remembered dying.

Death was supposed to be natural. Life sucks and then you die. That was it. And somehow - someway - she was still breathing. She pondered this for a few moments…and then opened her eyes.

Like before, the sudden brilliance of the overhanging lamp made her close them and then try again, slowly this time.

"Where am I?" She asked slowly, her words a bit slurred. She might not be able to see very well but she could definitely sense someone next to her. And then there was the fact that someone was holding onto her hand for dear life.

"The intensive care unit," a nonchalant tone answered.

Instantly she turned her head, tears of joy spilling from her eyes. Sasuke was gazing at her, his cool black eyes taking in her every act. He was shirtless, though it did no good since his entire chest was completely bandaged. His black hair was even spikier than normal, as if he had just woken up from a long nights sleep.

"I'm ready," he said after several moments of staring at each other.

Sakura smiled, a strange euphoria surrounding her. "…For what?"

"To breathe again."

* * *

_TBC_

* * *

_A/N: Hello! I left things a bit vague but that's just my style for this story. And I'm cool like that. Kidding! Anyways EVERYTHING will be concluded next chapter. And everyone's fates will be revealed. And then that's it. Next update should be quick!_

_P.S: I have not forgotten about Conceiving With You. That will be updated as soon as I have wrapped up the last of this story since I can devote my full attention to it. And dude I'm really excited about my newest one which I find myself daydreaming about all the time. It's going to be darker and waaayy more sexual than my usual stuff. I can't wait dudes! _

_Surmise_


	17. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

* * *

What was she supposed to say again? The answer eluded her, not that she was in any particular hurry to respond. "What?" She asked in a voice above a whisper.

"I'm ready to be with you," he said with a firm resolve. His dark eyes combined with the small beams of light that the Sun pitched through the hospital's lace curtains – turned his irises a rich brown instead of black.

He watched her while she said…nothing. A whole ten minutes might have passed and she still had not decided what to say. It didn't seem to bother Sasuke in the least. He seemed dead set on waiting for her.

"You left me," she said finally. "And I can understand why but it makes me feel insecure about you."

His jaw hardened momentarily, making his already all-too-serious face a little darker. "It was something I had to do. Sakura, I don't think you get it. He was going to kill you and he had already killed my family – cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, and by extension – my brother." His voice lingered on the last bit and she could hear the emotion in its ache.

"I know," she whispered.

"Do you really? I thought that maybe you, damn everyone else, could have understood. Considering that you've seen my pain – felt it."

Sakura sighed and then looked down at her hands. She had forgotten that he was still holding her hand in his. He felt cold. "I've accepted you, Uchiha Sasuke, for who you are."

He stared at her, questioningly.

"But I'm not ready to be with you yet. I have just been thinking and well…what happens next time when I'm threatened? Are you going to leave me then too? Or will you let me stand by you as an equal?"

"I-" He started but then stopped.

Sakura shook her head and sighed. "You see? You can't even answer me because you know the truth."

"I don't want to lose you," he murmured. "I've been trying to exist here and just get _by_. But getting by isn't good enough anymore. I'm empty, Sakura. I can't be who I was before everything happened to me – I know that, you know that. I won't pretend. But you really are the only good inside of me. And I thought that maybe I could get by without that…but I told you I'm just fucking sick of just getting _by_."

He gripped her hand tighter. "You once told me that you'd stand by me when we were children. I was on the wrong path then and I won't make an apology for that. But I'm here now."

She blinked and then swallowed the lump in her throat. "And you think that's enough?"

His teeth gritted. "I'm hoping."

"Let's start over," Sakura said finally. "I know that I want to be with you but…I just can't bring myself to…"

"Jump into my arms?" He offered, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"Exactly."

"Well _good_. Because that would be annoying," The Uchiha whispered, his eyes considerably warm.

"You know what? I'd like for you to take me on a date," Sakura teased.

"…A date? I want to spend the rest of my life with you and you want to just date?" He asked, slightly frustrated.

With her free hand, Sakura smoothed away the frustrated lines on his brow. His eyes closed briefly.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. You want to be with me? Then we do this my way. We tried your way last time and that got us almost killed. And I think that we should do this slowly…friends first…and then…" She flushed, not exactly sure what else to say.

And then he leaned over and murmured something that she was sure Uchiha Sasuke would _never_ say. Yet he did.

Someone cleared their throat from the entryway and Sakura was delighted to glance up and see Tsunade in the flesh. "Well if Uchiha is done whispering obscenities in my pupil's ear then I'd like to say a few words."

Sasuke scowled at her, his handsome face agitated. Tsunade grinned evilly and continued to ignore the giant holes he was burning into her skull.

"First off," The flaxen haired woman began, her amber eyes serious. "I speak for Uchiha and myself in saying that we're glad to have you back with us. Three weeks isn't a long time to sleep is it? Versus your previous fairytale sleep for almost two years anyways."

Sakura shuddered a little, the thought of being comatose again made her jumpy.

"It took Sasuke a couple of days to regain consciousness, three days in fact."

Sakura glanced to her left to see that Sasuke was smirking…but only just a little. "He has to beat me at everything it seems," The pink haired medic sighed.

"It would seem so," Tsunade remarked, her lips twitching in silent amusement. "It was Genma who figured out that one of you didn't need to sacrifice yourself to save the other. Since you and Sasuke are tied so completely to one another, if I healed one of you, it would do the same for the other. But you'll be happy to know that Akemi is dead as well as Danzo."

Sakura briefly remembered that right before she had hit the ground, Genma had lunged for him…

"Genma!" Sakura screamed.

Sasuke glanced at Tsunade who simply shook her head. Sakura watched the exchange, her throat tightening in the painful way that it usually did when she would start to get overly emotional. "Shishou…Sasuke? What happened to him?"

"Sharingan," Sasuke replied silently. Sakura turned to look at him and she could see that he was trying his best not to look affected by her touching concern for another man.

Sakura blinked. "What about it?"

"When I first went after Danzo, I wanted him to hit me you see that way we would make direct eye contact. I was going to finish him off with my Sharingan but I didn't know the asshole had one too," he said the last part through gritted teeth.

"But since he was so weak, having just regained his youth and health after almost two years of testing and experiments, Genma was able to kill him after they fought. But Danzo made sure to get the last laugh. Whatever he did to Genma with Sharigan…it's left him completely vegetative. Chances are he will never resurface."

She felt like her stomach had been twisted and then ripped out. Repeatedly. "…There's nothing you can do for him?….Nothing at all?"

"We're trying," Tsunade replied from the center of the room. "And Sasuke has been spending everyday with him, trying to call him out of the Sharingan induced sleep but there's been no change aside from the occasional hand twitch."

"…Can I see him?"

She felt Sasuke's hand loosen from hers. Sakura glanced at him but he had his eyes purposefully trained on the far wall. "Of course. After I run a few tests on you."

Sakura sighed and then rubbed her temple. Just when she had been so happy - everything was falling in on itself. Again. "What about Kakashi-sensei and Sai?"

Her mentor picked at her red painted finger nails and then shuffled through a few hidden bills that were pocketed in her ample chest. "Hatake returned home a week ago and returned to his regular duties yesterday. He said to send his regards when you awoke. And Sai - is gone."

Gone? Did she mean like dead? Or had she meant that he was simply vacationing in Suna?

She tried to speak yet no words came. Sasuke still had not moved. Tsunade looked close to breaking down.

"He won't be coming back. As of three weeks ago he is considered - rogue."

Sakura jolted forward. She hadn't moved from the bed. The sudden news seem to just shock her forward like an electric pad had been placed directly over her heart. It's beat was out of rhythm. "…What?"

Tsunade seemed more Hokage-like in that moment. Her gold-brown eyes were narrowed and solemn, her pink glossy lips pressed into a straight tight line. "The things that he has done are inexcusable, good intentions or not," she said coldly.

"B-but…he was just playing Akemi all along…" Sakura said helplessly. Why did it feel like this whole scenario had been rehearsed before? She looked to Sasuke for support. "..Right?"

Sasuke still refused to meet her eyes. "He knew what the mission entailed before he accepted, Sakura. So just let it be."

"No!" She yelled. Tsunade let out a heavy sigh of frustration.

"To prove his loyalty to Akemi and Danzo until the time was right to strike, Sai had to do certain _things_. Things that would not sit well with the council or the general public if he were to stay. Perhaps one day…" She closed her brown eyes. "…maybe he could return home…it is a possible future for him."

Her mentor put a hand on her shoulder, probably in an effort to show some sort of condolence. "You must have meant a great deal to him - take comfort in that."

The pink haired medic shrugged her hand off - rudely.

Sakura turned in her hospital bed, and laid her head against the pillow. She didn't want to talk to anyone. She didn't want to think. Eat. Or even look at anyone. She just wanted to sleep.

Because at least when she woke up, it seemed her life was always different.

* * *

_Ten months later_

* * *

When the last drop of twilight had finally subsided from view - Sakura stepped outside. It was a relatively chilly night though not as nearly as cold as it had been some nights before.

She was barefoot, her toes curling in the cool blades of the autumn grass. All around her feet, various leaves of all kinds littered the ground. Yellow, red, orange, and brown leaves twirled in the air in the far distance…creating a kind of mesmerizing dance.

It distracted her from her original task and only when she heard a graceful footfall approach did she snap to attention. "Tonight feels different…"Sasuke murmured into her ear as he passed.

On the small table that he had left outside just for her, he picked up a tiny paper lantern. Its exterior was a hand painted red that would glow beautifully when lit.

Sakura approached the table as well, her hands working systematically. She soaked a small ball of cotton in alcohol, the smell reminding her painfully of her slow days in the hospital, and placed it in the lantern in a tiny foil cup that was hidden in its center.

"Can you light that for me, now?" She asked. Sasuke obliged her, cupping his mouth with one hand and blowing into it. A small ball of orange flames shot from his mouth and into the lantern.

He held it up into the air, when the powerful heat from his miniature katon had lessened, and they both watched as he let the lantern go.

It floated up into the air, slowly and beautifully. It raised higher and higher, lighting the sky with its scarlet came to stand next to her and after a moment her hand found his. His full lips parted in complete contentment.

Sakura stared at the fading light of their lantern. "I used to make these for you once upon a time."

Sasuke side glanced at her, his shiny black hair flowing in the slight breeze. "I know."

"How?" She asked quietly.

"In one of your dreams," he explained. "I hadn't meant to pry but the memory seemed to just jump out at me."

"Do you know why I used to make them for you?"

He shook his head.

"To guide you home," Sakura replied with an affectionate nuzzle into his shoulder.

After another moment passed, he spoke. "Do you think it worked?"

She stared at him, her viridian eyes meeting his black ones. "You're here, aren't you?"

"Yeah," He glanced back at the black sky. Their lantern was a small speck of ruby light now. "I am."

Sakura started to speak. "So I was thinking of seeing Ino tomorrow - "

"_I love you_," he blurted out.

They both stared at each other, a different kind of fear in each. "Sasuke I-" She started but stopped.

"Please tell me you love me too," he said slowly, his eyes closed. There was the smallest trace of hurt in his voice. "Because its been almost a year and everyday I wake up trying to hide the fact that I'm in love with you. Maddeningly so."

"Sasuke…"

He cut her off. "No you listen now." Behind him, the door to his house was still left ajar from when he had followed her outside. "You won't be sad forever Sakura. You can't be. You wanted to take things slow and I respected that…but enough is enough! I can't pretend that I'm fine with what we are now. Dating? Is that what we're doing?"

"I'm not ready to just…" She started but again could not finish.

"Bullshit," he fired back.

"I love you! Okay?" She screamed.

He leaned in forward and she puckered her lips in response. Instead of pressing his lips to hers, he simply pressed them to her forehead.

"I'm scared," she admitted after a moment in his chest.

"Me too," he answered.

"Sasuke, I don't want my love to be wasted," she said seriously. He nodded. "Because I need to know that I made the right choice in picking you. Genma would have been so much easier…"

He tensed.

"But I never was one to pass up a challenge."

"Thank you," he whispered. "I know you have every reason to not choose me. You chose me even when I didn't choose you first. I thought for sure you would have ran off with Genma when he woke up. But," he stopped.

"But?"

He smiled. "You stayed with me."

* * *

_End._

* * *

A/N: That's it. This story, even though Sakura was the prevalent protagonist, was about Sasuke's emotional journey, at least to he's finally at the point where I think he needs to be. That lantern was for Sai, in case any of you were wondering. Possible sequel? Maybe. I don't think so. We'll see.

You never know with me. _wink. wink.  
_

Surmise


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